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COVID India Wave
About COVID India Wave
The Delta wave in India in April to May 2021 was one of the most devastating COVID outbreaks globally. Official figures recorded approximately 400,000 cases and 4,000 deaths per day at the peak. However, seroprevalence surveys and excess mortality analyses suggest true infections and deaths were many times higher. A 2021 Center for Global Development study estimated 3.4 to 4.9 million excess deaths in India up to mid 2021, far exceeding the official count of roughly 400,000 at the time. Hospitals reported running out of medical oxygen. Images of funeral pyres burning continuously shocked the world. The Kumbh Mela religious gathering in April 2021, attended by millions, was cited as a possible contributor to transmission. The B 1 617 2 variant, later named Delta, had first been detected in India in October 2020; it drove this wave and spread globally. The crisis exposed weaknesses in Indias healthcare system despite its pharmaceutical industry. Vaccine shortages in early 2021 limited protection. The wave subsided by June 2021 after infecting a large proportion of the population.
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