India’s Hospitals Swamped By Second Virus Wave as Shots Run Low
- Nation has paused vaccine exports to focus on domestic needs
- Hospitals report shortage of ICU beds, drugs, vaccines
Hospital staff at a coronavirus vaccination centre after stopping due to vaccine shortage, in Mumbai on April 8.
Photographer: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images
India is facing an escalating health crisis, with its second wave of virus infections hitting record highs, overwhelming hospitals around the country as supplies of intensive care beds and vital drugs come under pressure.
Across the South Asian nation, from the wealthiest and also the worst-hit state of Maharashtra to its most populous, Uttar Pradesh, reports are emerging of hospital beds running short and immunization centers turning away people as they run out of vaccines. India reported more than 145,000 new infections Saturday, and with over 13 million virus cases lags behind only the U.S. and Brazil.