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NEW DELHI: India surpassed 10 million coronavirus cases on Saturday (Dec. 19), official data showed, the second highest in the world, although new infection rates appear to have dropped dramatically in recent weeks.
The total number of cases was 10 million, a little more than 25,000 in 24 hours, with 9.6 million recoveries and 145,136 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.
As of September, the vast nation of 1.3 billion people had been registering nearly 100,000 new cases a day and seemed on track to overtake the United States as the worst-hit country.
But the pandemic has accelerated in the United States and appears to have lost momentum in India, even though the country is home to some of the most populous cities on the planet.
The United States, with a population a quarter the size of India, has reported more than 200,000 new cases in recent weeks, 10 times more than India.
India’s death rate is also considerably lower: less than half that of the US Brazil has also reported more deaths at 185,000.
Residents of the capital New Delhi told AFP that they were still worried but felt more comfortable than before leaving their homes.
“Obviously, fear levels have dropped over time. At first, it was scarier. Now we don’t worry as much,” said housekeeper Huma Zaidi.
“But we are still taking precautions, like wearing masks when going out and avoiding social gatherings.”
India has lifted restrictions on most activities to boost the struggling economy, although some states and territories have reimposed restrictions to stop the spread of the virus.
COLD CHAIN CONCERNS
The 10 million mark came as the world’s second most populous nation gears up for the vast and challenging task of beginning to vaccinate the population next year.
The government aims to vaccinate 300 million people initially, and health workers and other front-line personnel are expected to be the first to take the hit.
India has yet to approve any vaccines, but several drug makers have applied for authorization, including AstraZeneca, which has partnered with the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.
Health Ministry officials were expected to meet with staff from the Election Commission, which conducts extensive state and national polls, in the coming days as they map out how to distribute the injections, the Press Trust of India reported Thursday.
Experts have warned that the country could run into problems due to its weak cold chain infrastructure, necessary to keep vaccines refrigerated, particularly in poor and densely populated urban areas and remote rural regions.
“All the experience that India has in vaccination is in the much smaller game of the annual vaccines of children,” Satyajit Rath, an immunologist at the National Institute of Immunology, told AFP.
“I am not sure that India’s public health systems are developed enough … Even slightly below freezing requirements (for vaccine transport and storage) are likely to be extremely challenging on health system services. rural interior health “.
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