The second wave of coronavirus infections to hit India has been devastating. At one point, India was responsible for more than half of the world’s daily COVID-19 cases and recorded about 400,000 cases in a single day. The situation has been exacerbated by only a tiny portion of the population being fully vaccinated.

The impact of the pandemic on India was seen both domestically and regionally. India promoted coordination in its immediate neighborhood amidst the first wave. However, the second wave has led India to prioritize its own interests, as was showcased in Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent visit to the US, which included ensuring vaccine production and distribution as well as the quest for an intellectual property rights waiver on vaccines.

What are the short- and long-term implications on India’s politics, economy, and society? What further actions to mitigate the crisis can we expect to see from India’s leadership? Einat Elazari from Wikistrat interviewed Poornima Balasubramanian and Niranjan Marjani, experts in India’s foreign and domestic affairs, to discuss this in Wikistrat's latest podcast episode.