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| The Times of India newspaper reported another 16 deaths in two hospitals in southern Andhra Pradesh state, and six in a Gurgaon hospital on the outskirts of New Delhi because of the oxygen shortage. (Photo from ABCNews) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] A court in New Delhi said it would start punishing government officials for failing to deliver the life-saving items while Indian hospitals struggled to secure a steady supply of oxygen, and more COVID-19 patients dying amid the shortages, AP reported.
On Sunday (May 2), India recorded a slight drop in new infections with 392,488 from the previous high of 401,993 in the previous 24 hours. It also reported 3,689 additional deaths, bringing the total to 215,542. However, experts believe both figures are an undercount. With the government unable to maintain a steady supply of oxygen, several hospital authorities sought a court intervention in the Indian capital where a lockdown has been extended by a week to contain the wave of infections.
Meanwhile, the government has been using the railroad, the air force, and the navy to rush oxygen tankers to worst-hit areas where overwhelmed hospitals are unable to cope with an unprecedented surge in patients gasping for air. The army opened its hospitals to civilians in a desperate bid to control the massive humanitarian crisis. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government also gave emergency financial powers to the army, set up new quarantine facilities and hospitals, and bought equipment. The military also called up 600 doctors who had retired in the past few years.
