India Coronavirus Dispatch: Urban hotspots are driving the second wave

Several states are wrestling with vaccine shortages, migrants in Maharashtra fear impact of another lockdown, and more-news relevant to India's fight against Covid-19

Over 126,000 fresh cases reported

India reported 126,789 fresh coronavirus infections on Thursday, taking the cumulative caseload to 12.9 million, according to a report in the Scroll. This is the biggest daily rise the country has reported so far. The country saw 685 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 166,862, according to central health ministry data. The active caseload is at 910,319. As many as 90 million shots have been administered since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 2.9 million were given on Wednesday. Read more here

Urban hotspots are driving the second wave

A majority of the fresh infections being reported in the second wave of the coronavirus are coming from urban centres, something that was last seen at least 10 months ago, a report in the Hindustan Times said. As many as 48% of all cases reported in the country in March are from urban areas, which account for just 14% of the total population. According to experts, the numbers highlight the need to focus on expanding the vaccination drive in urban areas, especially large cities. Read more here

Several states wrestling with vaccine shortages

While Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has rubbished the views of some state governments about a shortage of vaccines, the minister's claims are not entirely accurate, a report ThePrint said. For instance, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said that the state’s Covid vaccine stocks will only last for three days. Civic officials the news website spoke to echoed the sentiment and said the situation was bad in both private and public hospitals. In Chhattisgarh, vaccinations almost came to a halt Monday, and getting supplies from government stores daily is a problem, Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo told ThePrint. Many other states are also on the brink, the report said. Read more here

Maharashtra: Migrants fear impact of another lockdown

As Maharashtra declared fresh restrictions to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus, migrants in the state are fearing another battle for survival, according to a report in ThePrint. The curbs include a weekend lockdown, night curfew, ban on gatherings of five or more people, and shutdown of all shops and markets, except the essential ones. This time, however, the state government is looking to extend financial and rations-related help to migrants to prevent a repeat of the migrant crisis that happened last year. Read more here

Rajasthan complains to Centre about faulty ventilators received

The Rajasthan government has written to the Modi government regarding “faulty” ventilators received by the state under PM-Cares after complaints from multiple districts were received, according to a report in The Indian Express. The state got 1,138 ventilators under PM-Cares, which account for almost 60 per cent of ventilators available with the state, according to officials. “We took feedback from medical colleges across the state and there was a general complaint regarding ventilators received by the state under PM Cares. Hence, we have written to the Union Ministry of Health regarding the issue,” said Vaibhav Galriya, Secretary, Medical Education. Read more here