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NEW DELHI – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India surpassed 8 million on Thursday and daily infections fell to the lowest level this week as concerns mounted about a major Hindu festival season and the onset of winter.
India’s trajectory is heading towards the worst affected country, the United States, which has more than 8.8 million cases.
The Health Ministry reported another 49,881 infections and 517 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 120,527.
Life in India is returning to pre-virus levels with shops, businesses, subways, and cinemas reopening and the country’s third-largest state, Bihar, with a population of about 122 million people holding elections.
But health experts warn that mask fatigue and detachment is beginning and may lead to a new wave of infections.
India saw a sharp increase in cases in July, adding more than 2 million in August and another 3 million in September. But you’re seeing a slower pace of coronavirus spread since mid-September, when daily infections hit a record 97,894 with the highest death toll at 1,275. According to the Ministry of Health, more than 7.3 million Indians have recovered from Covid-19.
Dr. T. Jacob John, a retired virologist, said that in most of India the infection curve never flattened and the number of people who are now susceptible to the virus has decreased.
He cautioned that the ongoing festival season is likely to increase the speed of viral spread, resulting in localized outbreaks where people gathered without masks and did not adhere to social distancing.
Even though new cases are declining across the country, the Indian capital appears headed for another spike in infections. It reported its worst day with 4,853 cases on Wednesday, after falling to fewer than 1,000 new cases a day last month.
“I am shocked, but not surprised,” said Arvind Kumar, a doctor from New Delhi. “There seems to be a sense of complacency in adhering to the rules of mask and detachment.”
Kumar warned that increased air pollution during the winter months in the capital could have “a deleterious effect on the incidence (of the virus) and the death rate.”
Winters have turned into a time of ill health in New Delhi, with a toxic haze obscuring the sky and blocking out sunlight. Pollution levels skyrocket to severe levels, worsening respiratory illnesses.
Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and a leading infectious disease expert, said research has shown that a combination of colder and drier air spreads the virus more efficiently.
“In drier air, those droplets tend to be smaller and can stay in the air,” Jha said.
India, with a population of 1.4 billion, aims to provide a coronavirus vaccine to 250 million people by July 2021. The government said it planned to receive 450 million to 500 million doses of vaccines and would guarantee a ” equitable access “. AP
