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Hundreds of thousands of people are infected with the coronavirus every day in India. On April 30, over 402 jobs were confirmed. cases. The world has not seen such large numbers yet. The situation in hospitals is dramatic, the crematoria cannot keep up with the burning of bodies, and the country’s authorities seek help abroad. How did it all come about? Indian scientists indicate a certain answer. Reuters wrote about it.
- On April 30, over 402 jobs were confirmed in India. new COVID-19 infections, more than 3,5 thousand have died people
- The situation in Indian hospitals is dramatic – there is a shortage of beds, oxygen cylinders, and in many cities the burning of the bodies of the deceased continues without interruption
- The peak of the wave is expected on May 8, this day may bring another 440 thousand. infection
- According to scientists contacted by Reuters, the authorities were warned about the discovery of a new coronavirus mutation, but decided not to introduce serious restrictions
- There is currently no evidence that the mutation from India is more dangerous or contagious – so this variant is only one factor in the current situation in India
- More new information can be found on the Onet homepage.
COVID-19 in India – the situation is dramatic. What’s happening?
India, the world’s second most populous country, is fighting with all its might to stop the second wave of the COVID-19 epidemic, far more serious than the previous one. The first wave of the pandemic hit India last summer and lasted until October. Then, however, at the worst moment, the daily statistics of infections did not exceed 98, the latest data indicate that there are over four times more. On April 30, it was reported that the last day brought over 402 thousand. new cases.
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The world has not seen such numbers yet. The situation regarding SARS-CoV-2 infections in India is presented in the diagram below. Let us add that over 19 million people have become infected with the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic in India. However, many medical experts believe that official COVID-19 incidence figures are under-reported, and it is not known exactly how many people have contracted the disease.
Source: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/india/
When it comes to COVID-19 deaths – until recently, the record day was June 16 last year – that day brought 2 deaths. Meanwhile, on April 006, the number of deaths reached a record 28. Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of almost 3 have died in India. people.
Source: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/india/
The situation in Indian hospitals is dramatic – there are no beds, people use relationships to find places for their loved ones. Medical oxygen is also lacking. – The second wave was a shock for everyone. Who can, who can afford, buys drugs and oxygen cylinders for rainy day Dr. Ravi Sharma, who runs a private clinic in East Delhi, admitted a few days ago.
In many cities, the burning of the bodies of the deceased continues without interruption. Additional funeral pyres are being built in Delhi. Moreover, this is not yet the peak of the second wave of the epidemic – this one is expected on May 8. It is estimated that this day may bring another 440 thousand. infection.
Due to the dramatic pandemic situation, aid flows to India from abroad. But how did it all come about? The opinion of several Indian scientists was provided by Reuters.
It all begins in March this year, when a double-mutated variant of SARS-CoV-2 (today it is known as B.1.617) was identified in India. INSACOG found its trace already in February (INSACOG, or SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium – a consortium associating laboratories supervising the SARS-CoV-2 genome throughout India).
Recall that this variant has two mutations – E484Q and L452R. Both appear separately in other variants of the coronavirus, but this is the first time that they were identified together. Both concerned the so-called the S-peak protein found on the coronavirus ‘spines’ that allows it to enter the cell and infect it. Hence the concerns of Indian researchers that the double mutation may promote the spread of the pathogen, but also allow “escape” from some antibodies produced by the vaccine.
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According to Reuters, INSACOG shared its findings with the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) at the ministry of health ahead of March 10, warning that infections could increase rapidly in parts of the country. One researcher contacting Reuters admitted that the INSACOG findings had been passed on to the Indian Ministry of Health. “Reuters could not determine whether they were submitted to the prime minister himself,” the agency said, noting that its office did not respond to a request for comment.
Some scientists believe that despite this information, the federal government has not tried to impose serious restrictions. Millions of people, most of them without face masks, attended religious festivals and political rallies organized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party and opposition politicians in connection with local elections. Tens of thousands of farmers camped on the fringes of New Delhi to protest the prime minister’s changes to the agricultural policy.
The Indian Ministry of Health officially announced the identification of the double-mutant SARS-CoV-2 variant about two weeks later – on March 24. The statement said the situation requires more testing and quarantine – since then, the number of tests has almost doubled to 1,9 million tests per day. On the other hand, by April XNUMX, the number of new infections was four times higher than a month earlier.
Why has the government not reacted more firmly to information about a new coronavirus mutation? Why were large assemblies not restricted? When asked about this by Reuters, Shahid Jameel, chairman of the INSACOG scientific advisory group, admitted: “I’m afraid science has not been taken into account in policymaking.” But I know where my jurisdiction ends. As scientists we present the evidence, it is up to the government to make policy.
“We are in a very serious situation,” Shanta Dutta from the state-run National Institute of Cholera and Intestinal Diseases told Reuters. – People listen to politicians more than scientists. Rakesh Mishra, director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, which is part of INSACOG, admitted that India’s research community is depressed. – What we have observed should be better used.
On the other hand, there are also voices that the increase in the incidence was much greater than expected and that failures cannot be attributed solely to politicians. “There is no point in blaming the government,” Saumitra Das, director of the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, part of INSACOG, told Reuters.
Finally, it is worth recalling that so far there is no evidence that the Indian variant is more contagious or more dangerous. This was recalled by the sanitary director of the Rome infectious disease hospital, Francesco Vaia, who stressed on social media: “We are not scaring people with alarmist tones about variants of the virus, now those from India. There are no data, I repeat: no data that would suggest that it is more dangerous, more contagious … adapted to them ».
Taking all this into account, one may be tempted to say that the “double mutation” of the coronavirus is only one of the reasons for the dramatic epidemic situation in India.
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