India’s coronavirus case exceeded 6 million on Monday after 82,170 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours as the pandemic rages across the vast South Asian nation.
With 6.1 million infections, according to the Department of Health, India is well on the way to overtaking the US as the country with the most cases in the coming weeks.
COVID-19 deaths rose 1,039 to 95,542 in the last 24 hours, which is 1.6 percent of all infections.
The nation of 1.3 billion is home to some of the most densely populated cities in the world and large numbers of COVID-19 cases have long been expected to be recorded.
India has added 80,000 to 90,000 new infections every day since it saw the world’s highest daily increases from late August.
The infection is well established in the community
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to continue wearing face covers when venturing out of their homes.
“These rules are weapons in the war against the corona. They are powerful tools to save the life of every citizen, “Modi said on his monthly radio address.
The virus initially hit large metropolitan areas, including the financial center of Mumbai and the state capital New Delhi, but has since spread to provinces and rural areas where health systems are fragile and patchy.
Despite the ongoing disease progression, the government is unlikely to reinstate the gradually lifted lockdown after severe restrictions have battered the economy and destroyed the livelihoods of millions of people, especially the poor.
Some schools have reopened and trains, subways, domestic flights, markets and restaurants have been allowed to operate with restrictions.
“Part of our life”
Anand Krishnan, professor of community medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, said the focus should be on treating people who contract the virus.
The virus initially hit large metropolitan areas, but has since spread to rural areas [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]”The infection is well established in the community,” he told the AFP news agency.
“We can only take care of sick people – identify them faster and treat them better. And follow the socially distant norms. Beyond that, I don’t think anything specific can be done. “
Some residents AFP spoke to in Delhi said their fears about the pandemic had subsided since the beginning of this year, despite being cautious.
“I’m out of the house all day because of my work. I don’t step out of the house for anything else, ”said the 23-year-old employee of the Umang Chutani medical supply store.
“The future is uncertain, but all you can do is be careful and follow all security protocols.”
Himanshu Kainthola, 61, who recovered from the virus last month after testing positive along with two other relatives, said his family’s fears had “decreased significantly”.
“We made peace with it. We take the necessary precautions and invest in strengthening our immunity rather than fear or fear of it. “
Santosh, a creative writing student, added that the virus is now “part of our lives”.
“You can’t close every business because the economy can’t collapse … COVID-19 won’t pay the rent,” he told AFP.
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