India COVID-19 Crisis

‘I lost my unborn child and wife on the same day’ says a man from India, grief-stricken and devastated by the worst COVID-19 outbreak the country has ever seen. The situation in the country is getting dire every day, with 412,000 cases alone on Thursday, May 6th and nearly 4000 daily death tolls. There are shortages of beds and medical supplies in the hospitals, and even a shortage of nurses and attendees to look after the ever-increasing number of patients. Many COVID patients are forced to station themselves outside the hospitals, while their loved ones work tirelessly to buy the medical supplies themselves. There is already a rise in black market trading, where desperate people are forced to pay unbelievable amounts to buy oxygen cylinders. Still, they persevere, going from one hospital to another, just so their loved ones can receive proper medical care.

On the other hand, smokes and ashes rise more than ever in the funeral pyres of India. As COVID deaths surpass 243,000 in the country, there is already a shortage of woods that are needed for performing the last rites of the deceased. Priests and workers are working harder than ever in these pyres as new bodies are arriving day and night. Crematoriums are forced to build makeshift funeral pyres, as parks and other public places are cleared for cremations. Overall, the situation in India is something that we could have never anticipated. It shows the pandemic at its worst, shattering lives here and there and bringing chaos amidst the country.

It is surprising to see that the situation in India a few months back was completely different than what it is now. People were seen rallying in festivals, with the massive Kumbh Mela gathering in Haridwar attracting as many as 25 million people since January. The Prime Minister was seen doing election rallies over West-Bengal, with huge gatherings of people where they hardly adhered to any health guidelines. The unpreparedness for this outbreak and the spread of the new COVID variant further stimulated the gravity of the situation.

Yet, Indians are not alone in this fight. Countries all around the world have extended their hand to support them during this crisis. Canada itself has pledged to send up to 350 ventilators from its national emergency stockpile and up to 25,000 vials of antiviral remdesivir (important medication for COVID treatment) to help. People have also played an active role in social media by spreading awareness about this issue and raising money to help. There are many organizations that are working day and night in providing medical supplies to hospitals in need. One such organization is Project Hope, which is an international organization that is working with Indian government officials to get oxygen supplies, ICU equipment, ventilators, and other critical items to hospitals. The American India Foundation is also a great place to donate as they are supplying medical equipment, protective gears for nurses and doctors and carrying out an awareness campaign to help prevent the spread of this deadly virus.

The crisis in India should be a wake-up call to all of us for taking COVID seriously. We must do our part in following the mandated health guidelines, reduce unnecessary travel, avoid large gatherings and regularly check for COVID symptoms. The fight against this virus is still going on and will not end even when we take our vaccines. We must remain patient and continue maintaining healthy practices so that we can prevail in the end. This way, we can help prevent catastrophes such as the one taking place in India and slowly eradicate COVID from the world.