Covid-19 Wrap-up: India finally sees a dip in cases but situation still remains grim

Monday bore a grim reminder to India's continuing struggle with the ravaging second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Migrant labourers, yet again, started making arduous journeys back home, while bodies of Covid-19 victims were found floating in the Ganga.

India finally witnessed a dip in the total number of cases at 3.66 lakh, after four continuous days of recording four lakh fresh cases. The death toll due to the viral disease climbed to 2,46,116 , with 3,754 more people succumbing to it. The number of active cases of the coronavirus infection in the country has gone up to 37,45,237, accounting for 16.53 per cent of its total caseload, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 82.39 per cent.

Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi are among 10 states that account for 73.91 per cent of the 3,66,161 new Covid-19 cases registered in a day, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. Maharashtra reported the highest daily new cases at 48,401, followed by Karnataka with 47,930 cases and Kerala with 35,801 new cases.

Even as the country continues to grapple with shortage of vaccines, the Centre warned the Supreme Court against intervention in vaccine policy. The vaccination strategy for Covid-19 has been formulated in a "just, equitable, non-discriminatory" manner and any "overzealous" judicial intervention may result in unforeseen consequences, the government has told the apex court.

Bharat Biotech, the manufacturers of Covaxin, have commenced direct supply to 14 states, with effect from May 1. However, affordability of vaccines continues to be a matter of grave concern. Vaccines in India’s private sector are among the costliest in the world, with private hospitals charging Rs 700- Rs 900 per dose for Covishield and Rs 1,200- Rs 1,500 for each Covaxin shot.

The political blame game continued unabated on Monday, with the BJP slamming Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his "daily appearances on TV, misleading people and lying". AAP returned the favour, with Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia claiming that the BJP government at the Centre allowed only 3.5 lakh doses of vaccine for the national capital in May, even though the party had placed orders for 1.34 crore doses with manufacturers.

Meanwhile, heart-wrenching images emerged out of Bihar, where several bodies -- decomposed, bloated and suspected to be of people who succumbed to Covid-19 -- were found floating in the river Ganga in Buxar district. Some news channels claimed the number of bodies to be as high as 100, but the BDO dismissed it as "highly exaggerated".

The 14-day strict lockdown, announced by the Karnataka government, prompted north Indian labourers in Mangaluru to return to their native places. While this may bring back memories of the harrowing ordeal the labourers went through last year, travel arrangements are better this time. “With trains running and availability of confirmed tickets, we can get back to our native place,” said Ghansham from Uttar Pradesh.

On the bright side, India has witnessed an outpouring of support from its friends across the globe, especially the United States. Less than a fortnight after President Joe Biden pledged his country’s "steadfast support", the US has come forward with an unprecedented financial assistance worth nearly $50 million.