India is struggling. The country’s COVID-19 rate is reported to be a horrifying 30%.
Just a month ago, the Indian government believed that its people were somewhat safe from the COVID-19 virus because only 3% of the people were testing positive, despite relaxed social distancing measures since last October. Then the second wave hit with a vengeance.
From what I have heard from friends, family, and mid-level officials in India, the situation is devastating, and getting worse. The infection is expected to peak in mid-May. The most immediate need is preventing deaths due to a shortage of medical oxygen.
In the state of Delhi, the government’s supply of medical oxygen is only a third of what its hospitals need for its population of 20 million. At the same time, COVID-19 patients are coming to Delhi from neighboring states, placing additional pressure on medical resources.
Preeti, who designed my website, died of COVID-19 eight days ago. She was 30 years old, an IT designer living in the hi-tech town of Gurgaon on the outskirts of Delhi. Although she tested negative for COVID, she was struggling to breathe and died within a day. “She died at home. We could not find oxygen for her,” said her husband in a somber voice on a WhatsApp call.
COVID-19 does not spare anyone, young or old, rich or poor.
Some state elections just ended in India. In one of the most populous states of West Bengal in northeastern India, next to Bangladesh, Prime Minister Modi’s party lost by a huge margin, presumably due to the government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
At 1.4 billion, India has four times the population of the United States. The GDP per capita is 30 times more than India’s. India spends less than 2% of its GDP on healthcare; the US spends 18% of its GDP.
India spends only $100 per person on healthcare each year. One Delhi official shared with us that large hospitals should have their own oxygen plants. The cost of one oxygen plant for 200 ICU beds is $200,000. In other words, $1000 ($250 per patient) could save four lives in a month. US dollars go a long way in India.
India’s doctors are doing heroic work. Dr. Neeraj Jain, a pulmonologist at one of the largest private hospitals in New Delhi, delivered a simple message in English/Hindi, on how people with COVID-19 can take care of themselves at home, when a hospital bed is not available.
The longer-term solution is vaccination, before the next surge hits. India has been able to fully vaccinated less than 2% of people, due to vaccine shortage.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has a sensible message about India. “Treat [the virus] like we are in a war.” COVID-19 can be defeated with proper measures. He recommends four weeks of complete lockdown and vaccinating as many people as possible and quickly.
The Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest producer of vaccines, is manufacturing Covid-19 vaccines Covishield (which is AstraZeneca of Oxford) and Covovax. However, the raw and packaging material shortages are holding them back.
Just yesterday, on May 2nd, the Biden administration removed the export restrictions on such materials!
In this article
Romita
The situation in India is so heartbreaking. It is a reminder of all the work that needs to be done. The US healthcare system has a lot of shortcomings compared to other developed countries, but it is clear especially during the time of a global health crisis that countries like India have a much longer way to go in order to provide basic healthcare for its citizens.
Varadarajan Seshamani
It is beter for you to get the facts before you write your opinions
You are so badly off the mark that one is severely amazed that such trash can actually be written in a public forum.
Incidentally – the US is doing terribly. With a third of India’s population, it has more infections and deaths that India has.
Wake up.
Valerie Baldwin
That is horrifying. So sad. I hope the Serum Institute can get enough supplies soon to make enough vaccine for all. The one-dose vaccine probably works better for such a large population.
purnima gupta
Good info.
May God bless us in these difficult times!
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Prakash
I read the article twice but failed to get the gist of it. Yes, India and Indians are going through a very bad patch at the moment. India has limited resources and it has to contend with the arm-twisting by various corporate entities from all over the world. An India-US comparison, IMHO, is unlikely to throw much light on what is missing.
Let me compare the US of 1957 to the US of today. A severed pandemic-like outbreak afflicted the US in 1957, but there was no lockdown. The President asked for a mere few millions of extra dollars to fund certain related expenditures; a vaccine was developed under four months; and the Nation was on its feet all the time although the outbreak affected young people to a much greater degree. And here is the crucial piece of data.
“U.S. hospital system was not overwhelmed in 1957-58 for the simple reason that it had vastly more capacity than today. Hospital beds per thousand people were approaching their all-time high of 9.18 per 1,000 people in 1960, compared with 2.77 in 2016”. (From Niall Ferguson’s new book).
Need I write more? It may be fashionable to deride India when she is down, but to my mind, it is not in good taste. I hope we drop this colonial mentality that has become an integral part of all of us. You can safely take it that I am castigating my own self of 10 years ago when I, too, fail for similar arguments. I hope I am wiser now.
Aarti Awasthi
Dear Vinita, I have just returned from Delhi & we left right before this Covid Tsunami hit. It’s brutal on the ground- like a war. IFFCO/ Dr US Awasthi, who’s core competency is soil amendment/ fertilizers- is putting up 4 medical grade oxygen plants and planning to supply free medical grade oxygen to Hospitals. Citizens are stepping up and helping and connecting the needy to the scant resources they can access. Prayers seem to be the only plentiful solution at the moment.
vinitagupta
Very tragic. India is resilient and will bounceback, is my hope.