The number of people infected with the new coronavirus in India has exceeded half a million, and some 18,500 new infections have been detected in the last 24 days alone, the country’s authorities said on Saturday.
The infection has been confirmed in a total of 509,000 people and the Covid-19 virus has claimed 15,685 lives. 385 people died last day.
Experts predict that the pandemic in India will not peak for several more weeks and the number of infections could exceed one million by the end of July.
Several state states are considering introducing new quarantine measures, while the nationwide quarantine introduced on March 25 is gradually being eased to reduce the damage to the economy.
India’s most densely populated cities have been hit hardest by the virus, with the capital, Delhi alone, reporting 80,000 infections, but the number is projected to exceed half a million over the next month. In order to alleviate the huge workload of hospitals, the authorities have already started using train cars to accommodate patients and have taken over some hotels and banquet halls.
In terms of infection rates, India currently ranks fourth in the world after the United States, Brazil and Russia, while mortality from Covid-19 is much lower.
Experts say that, unlike China, where the pandemic was concentrated mainly around Wuhan and a few other cities, India has become more widespread, posing a serious challenge to the health care system, and is likely to experience several peaks in the coming months.
–
