Just how scary is the COVID outbreak in India right now?

[PeteS in CA]

Just how scary is the COVID outbreak in India right now?

https://hotair.com/allahpundit/2021/04/21/just-how-scary-is-the-covid-outbreak-in-india-right-now-n384879

I have no deep thoughts about this subject but I want to put it on your radar because there’s every indication that it’ll end up as the worst COVID outbreak on Earth since the pandemic began. That distinction currently belongs to Brazil, I think, but India’s population dwarfs that country’s. And India is poorer per capita, which means more people in dire need of hospital care may not be able to get it.

Where the death toll might go on this, God only knows.

The epidemic curve there has turned vertical. And it must be stressed: In a poor nation that isn’t doing much testing (India ranks 116th in tests per capita), the number of confirmed cases only scratches the surface of the true number of infections.

Both India's daily new cases and daily deaths numbers are soaring, https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/india/ .

[jafo2010]

COVID is soaring in Russia too.  The numbers being reported have never been anywhere near reality for Russia.

One journalist in Russia said the real number is at a minimum three times more than reported.  Who knows?  Certainly not the Russian people!

[BassWrangler]

Yes, pretty scary, although it looks like the pure exponential growth phase in new cases is over, so I would expect a peak there in the next week or two, with a peak in deaths/day a couple of weeks after that.

https://imgur.com/jITZd30

[Gefn]

Scary, with reports of people dropping like flies and two on a respirator at a time...

[thackney]

India's richest people are fleeing on private jets as the country hits almost 350,000 COVID-19 infections in another daily global record
https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/indias-richest-people-are-fleeing-on-private-jets-as-the-country-hits-almost-350000-covid-19-infections-in-another-daily-global-record/articleshow/82242206.cms
APR 25, 2021

...On Sunday, public health officials reported 349,691 new COVID-19 cases in the country, according to Sky News. They also reported 2,767 deaths, another daily record, as some nations announced they would implement travel restrictions on visitors from India.

The alarming numbers are prompting wealthy Indians to pay thousands for last-minute flights and private jets as travel restrictions come into place.

One popular destination seems to be the United Arab Emirates, which is only a short distance away from India and usually operates hundreds of flights there. It announced this week that it was barring the entry of travelers from India for 10 days from April 25, according to Gulf News....

[mountaineer]

I saw mention of this on Twitter this morning and didn't note the source, but it was suggested that this is China's way to try to conquer and take over India - which they've wanted to do for decades. In other words, China has just "planted" the Covid-19 (or a new variety thereof) intentionally in India. At least, that's what many Indian people are speculating.

Of course, China is acting like they'd be more than happy to help:

China 'Ready' to Help India Fight COVID-19 Crisis Amid U.S. Vaccine Materials Ban
By Tom O'Connor On 4/22/21 at 6:50 PM EDT

 China has offered to help India fight its worsening COVID-19 crisis as the United States continues to ban exports of vaccines for the coronavirus disease.

India marked a world record surge Thursday of more than 300,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day as the nation of some 1.3 billion people scrambled to curb the spread of the illness and treat those already infected despite dwindling resources. The situation has prompted international concern, including from neighboring China.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is a common enemy of all mankind that necessitates international solidarity and mutual assistance," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters on Thursday. "China takes note of the recent grave situation in India with a temporary shortage of anti-epidemic medical supplies." ...

Newsweek

[BassWrangler]

I saw mention of this on Twitter this morning and didn't note the source, but it was suggested that this is China's way to try to conquer and take over India - which they've wanted to do for decades. In other words, China has just "planted" the Covid-19 (or a new variety thereof) intentionally in India. At least, that's what many Indian people are speculating.

Of course, China is acting like they'd be more than happy to help:Newsweek

I can believe China engineered and released this disease on purpose. They are the one country that seems to have escaped any significant economic impact from it. They used their authoritarian control to implement draconian steps early and got ahead of the disease quickly. They delayed telling the rest of the world about it so that it could spread there. Meanwhile the western countries tanked their economies with lock-downs. China has escaped any and all accountability for this so far, and with Xiden in office, accountability is not likely to come from the US.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Its only "scary" because the Indian government screwed up and wants someone else to take ownership and responsibility for their ineptitude.

Never let a good crisis go to waste.

[thackney]

Covid-19 in India: Patients struggle at home as hospitals choke
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-56882167

[BassWrangler]

Its only "scary" because the Indian government screwed up and wants someone else to take ownership and responsibility for their ineptitude.

Never let a good crisis go to waste.

India has a huge population of extremely poor people. Google "shanty town" if you don't know what I mean. It's hard to imagine any way they could have dealt with this. It was sort of inevitable.

[PeteS in CA]

The gulf between the rich and poor in India makes the corresponding gap in the US look like a crack in the sidewalk.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

India’s Health Care System In ‘Total Collapse’ As COVID Surge ‘Ravages’ Country

https://www.dailywire.com/news/indias-health-care-system-in-total-collapse-as-covid-surge-ravages-country

India’s health care system is reportedly in “total collapse” and doctors are begging for basic medical supplies, like tanks of oxygen, as the country struggles to get a massive surge in COVID-19 cases under control.

On Thursday, India recorded a world record number of new COVID-19 cases, clocking 314,835 infections and, India Today reported, experts expect to reach a “peak” of 5,000 deaths per day — but that peak could still be weeks away.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Fauci: US Will Consider Sending AstraZeneca Vaccine to COVID-Hit India

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/fauci-az-vaccine-india/2021/04/25/id/1018923/

The United States will consider sending surplus AstraZeneca vaccines to India, as backlash over its stockpile grows and the South Asian giant reels from a COVID-19 surge, top U.S. pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci said Sunday.

Western nations including Britain and Germany have pledged help as India's coronavirus crisis grows, driving increases in global case numbers in recent days even as the number of vaccines administered globally surpasses the one billion mark.
...
The United States has around 30 million doses of the low-cost AstraZeneca vaccine that are not approved for use in the country, and Fauci said the idea of sending them to India will be "something that is up for active consideration."

Some background info:

1. As of this AM, AZ has not applied for EUA in the US.

2. There is a contract in place (signed last summer) whereby 300M doses are on order contingent on AZ receiving EUA.

3. One of the countries in which AZ's vaccine is produced is India, though I don't know the volume or contractual commitments.

4. If one compares India to other countries here, https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations , just ~8.5% of India's population has received at least one vaccine dose, while that number is ~41.8% for the US. EuroLand countries are probably north of 22%.

[mountaineer]

I can believe China engineered and released this disease on purpose. They are the one country that seems to have escaped any significant economic impact from it. They used their authoritarian control to implement draconian steps early and got ahead of the disease quickly. They delayed telling the rest of the world about it so that it could spread there. Meanwhile the western countries tanked their economies with lock-downs. China has escaped any and all accountability for this so far, and with Xiden in office, accountability is not likely to come from the US.

I quite agree. They could take down every country in the world in this manner. Maybe India is just a test case.

[jmyrlefuller]

The real question I have here is that for months, people were looking at India, expecting this to happen, and yet it never did. Why now? This was SUPPOSED to happen. India is so densely populated that this virus was bound to explode regardless of any intervention, and yet for a year, it never did. We speculated that maybe it was an anti-tuberculosis vaccine or maybe the widespread use of HCQ... but then it hit. Why didn't it hit sooner?

There is so much about this situation and this virus that none of us understand.

[Wingnut]

[LegalAmerican]

I don't believe any of it. 

[mystery-ak]

 India tops 200,000 COVID deaths as virus surge breaks health system

By Yaron Steinbuch

April 28, 2021 | 8:12am

India marked a grim milestone Wednesday with 200,000 people lost to COVID-19 — as a relentless surge of new cases overwhelms hospitals, sends families searching for oxygen supplies, and has seen parking lots in the capital, New Delhi, converted into crematoriums.

The health ministry reported a single-day record of 3,293 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the world’s second-most populous country’s total fatalities to 201,187.

India, a country of nearly 1.4 billion people, also reported 362,757 new infections, a new global record, which raised the overall total past 17.9 million.

The previous high of 350,000 on Monday had capped a five-day streak of recording the largest single-day spikes in any country during the pandemic.

more
https://nypost.com/2021/04/28/india-tops-200000-covid-deaths-as-surge-breaks-health-system/

[dfwgator]

India has a huge population of extremely poor people. Google "shanty town" if you don't know what I mean. It's hard to imagine any way they could have dealt with this. It was sort of inevitable.

Every country gets their turn, eventually.

[BassWrangler]

Every country gets their turn, eventually.

Indeed. Except for China. The fact that they didn't have a situation like India is one of the main reasons I think they deliberately let this get out. If they didn't release it on purpose, they damn sure kept it quiet on purpose so that they wouldn't be the only country hit. They've come out ahead on this deal, and exactly the opposite should be the case.

[Smokin Joe]

I saw mention of this on Twitter this morning and didn't note the source, but it was suggested that this is China's way to try to conquer and take over India - which they've wanted to do for decades. In other words, China has just "planted" the Covid-19 (or a new variety thereof) intentionally in India. At least, that's what many Indian people are speculating.

Of course, China is acting like they'd be more than happy to help:Newsweek

Such is the passive-aggressive nature of unconventional warfare, to keep the target off balance as long as possible, even to the point of being unable to mount defense.

India is the preeminent local naval power in the region, ahead of the Australians. China's first overt steps will involve naval power.

India, however, has nukes, and has used them before to make political statements back and forth with Pakistan.

[Smokin Joe]

Indeed. Except for China. The fact that they didn't have a situation like India is one of the main reasons I think they deliberately let this get out. If they didn't release it on purpose, they damn sure kept it quiet on purpose so that they wouldn't be the only country hit. They've come out ahead on this deal, and exactly the opposite should be the case.

We do not know what effects China has had. We only "know" what they choose to tell us. If the pandemic had wiped out their army, would they say so?

This has been a war of appearances from the start, internationally and domestically.

[BassWrangler]

We do not know what effects China has had. We only "know" what they choose to tell us. If the pandemic had wiped out their army, would they say so?

This has been a war of appearances from the start, internationally and domestically.

We know based on the economics around their manufacturing output and satellite views of their thermal and CO2 output that their economy is moving along just fine, whereas everyone else has been negatively impacted.

[Smokin Joe]

We know based on the economics around their manufacturing output and satellite views of their thermal and CO2 output that their economy is moving along just fine, whereas everyone else has been negatively impacted.

Purveyors of PPE to the World.

(WEAR YOUR MASK! WEAR TWO!!)

[GtHawk]

Purveyors of PPE to the World.

(WEAR YOUR MASK! WEAR TWO!!)

Time to get Medieval on it!

[DB]

The real question I have here is that for months, people were looking at India, expecting this to happen, and yet it never did. Why now? This was SUPPOSED to happen. India is so densely populated that this virus was bound to explode regardless of any intervention, and yet for a year, it never did. We speculated that maybe it was an anti-tuberculosis vaccine or maybe the widespread use of HCQ... but then it hit. Why didn't it hit sooner?

There is so much about this situation and this virus that none of us understand.

Perhaps it mutated.

[Smokin Joe]

Perhaps it mutated.

Maybe the Chinese had to whip up another version that isn't affected by zinc, or maybe the Indians ran out (Zinc supplementation was essential to the efficacy of Ivermectin or HCQ as a prophylactic regimen as well, and that protection would be limited in duration.)