India records more than 300,000 new COVID-19 cases for 6th consecutive day
27 April, 2021
India's new COVID-19 cases stayed above 300,000 for a sixth consecutive day on Tuesday (Apr 27), while its armed forces pledged urgent medical aid to greatly help battle the staggering spike in infections.
Over the past 24 hours, India recorded 323,144 new cases, below Monday's worldwide peak of 352,991, with overrun hospitals continuing to carefully turn away patients due to a shortage of beds and oxygen supplies.
It reported 2,771 new deaths, but health authorities believe the tally runs considerably higher.
"Please note a huge fall in daily cases ... is largely due to a heavy fall in testing. This will not be studied as a sign of falling cases, rather a matter of missing out on way too many positive cases!" Rijo M John, a professor and health economist at the Indian Institute of Management in the southern state of Kerala, said in a post on Twitter.
Several countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Bangladesh and Britain, have taken steps to curb travel from India to avoid more virulent virus variants from entering their borders. Australia is defined to consider a proposal to suspend flights from India later in the day.
The problem in the world's second-most populous country is "beyond heartbreaking", World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
India has called on its military to greatly help tackle the devastating crisis. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said late on Monday that oxygen will be released from military reserves and retired medical personnel would join health facilities that are struggling under the strain of cases.
Nations including Britain, Germany, and america have pledged urgent medical aid, while Indian Americans in U.S. Congress and the technology sector also have joined forces to improve aid.
The United States has said it'll share 60 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine with other countries.
"Major lobbying is on at this point of time to secure whenever you can for India," a senior Indian official part of ongoing negotiations told Reuters, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been assured that India will be given priority.
"As of this juncture even harshest critics of India are pushing the US regime" to assist India, the official added.
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