India recorded 34,973 fresh coronavirus cases yesterday, 19 per cent lower than the previous day. The country’s active caseload accounts for 1.18 per cent of the total cases at 3,31,74,954.
In the past few months, India has added many more hospital beds and imported over 100 oxygen carriers to raise the total to about 1,250, according to a Reuters report. The Centre, meanwhile, has approved the construction of nearly 1,600 oxygen-generation plants at hospitals, though fewer than 300 had been set up as of early last month as imports take time.
Almost all states are readying special paediatric wards as some experts warn unvaccinated children could be vulnerable to any new virus mutations. States including Madhya Pradesh are also stocking up on anti-viral drugs such as Remdesivir.
But with a government survey estimating as many as two-thirds of Indians already have Covid-fighting antibodies through natural infection, and 57 per cent of its adults with at least an initial vaccine dose, many health experts believe any new outbreak of infections could be much less devastating than the second wave, the Reuters report said.
“Even if reinfections or breakthrough infections occur, they are likely to be mild and mostly managed at home. The serious gaps in health-service delivery that were evident in the second wave are less likely to be seen,” epidemiologist and cardiologist K Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India told the news agency.
Kerala is seeing such signs already. The state currently has the highest number of infections, including many among vaccinated or partly vaccinated residents, but its fatality rate is well below the national figure.
With inputs from NDTV