India reported more than 295,000 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday as its daily death toll climbed over 2,000 for the first time since the pandemic began.
In an address to the nation on Tuesday night, prime minister Narendra Modi called on states to enforce lockdown restrictions only as a “last resort”, and said that efforts were being made to restart dedicated Covid emergency hospitals operated by the federal authorities.
But there was a backlash online from those asking whether the government is doing enough in a country that has become the new global epicentre for the pandemic.
Hospitals in many states are now overrun, with Delhi’s major facilities - the best in the country - warning of imminent oxygen shortages in the coming hours and saying “people will die” as a result.
India’s tally for cases throughout the pandemic now stands at more than 15.6 million, second only to the US, with total deaths reaching 182,553.
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