Left, Right & Centre

An unprecedented surge in Covid cases has left several hospitals in Delhi gasping for oxygen. In a desperate move today, after telling the Delhi High Court that the centre was not complying with the allocation of oxygen to the state, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to all chief ministers asking if they have any oxygen to spare. On Friday, the national capital logged 348 deaths linked to Covid, the highest in a day, leaving its crematoriums and burial sites overburdened. A site for traumatic scenes as family members have to wait for hours hoping for a spot - a piece of land to cremate their loved ones.

Amid the spiralling COVID-19 crisis, states have been bickering with the centre or other states over the supply of oxygen, vaccine and medicine. Many hospitals are facing shortage of oxygen supply, and several are left with just a few hours supply of oxygen.

The voices of people struggling to find a hospital bed, oxygen cylinder and dealing with grief amid the deadly second wave of COVID-19 show how big a challenge India faces today. These are brave people who have chosen to speak despite their own suffering. Also on the show, India's oxygen crisis, the voices of hospital owners live on the programme on how within hours they would have run out of oxygen, which would have been catastrophic for hundreds of patients, had resupply did not reach on time.

Russia's Sputnik V Covid vaccine will be sold at $10 (around ₹ 750) a dose in India, its India manufacturer Dr Reddy's Labs has told NDTV. Several hundred thousand doses will be available in the country in May-June through imports, says GV Prasad, Managing Director of Dr Reddy's.

After the centre announced Rs. 4,500 crore to boost production of the Covishield and Covaxin vaccines, Serum Institute of India says it has borrowed from banks to begin ramp-up of its vaccine immediately instead of waiting for the government's aid to arrive.

24 patients died in a hospital in Maharashtra's Nashik as an oxygen leak disrupted supply. The incident took place at a time when several hospitals across the nation are running out of medical oxygen. Who is responsible for these 24 deaths?

With health facilities getting overwhelmed across the country, desperate patients hunt for beds and oxygen supplies for their loved ones who're suffering from COVID-19. This is the human cost of the explosion in cases.

India faces a huge health crisis as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise, hospitals run out of oxygen and beds, test results stand delayed and vaccination doses fall short. Can India meet the emergency needs of its Covid patients in time?

At a time when India's Covid numbers are surging, the government opens up vaccination to all adults. This is a huge step and couldn't have come a day too late. India has been seeing a declining trend in vaccinations lately. And it appears that vaccines may also be available at market rates for those who can afford it, while ensuring that it is free for those who cannot afford it.

The Delhi government has announced a lockdown for a week. The big question is: If the idea was to break the transmission of the disease, why wasn't the decision taken earlier?