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India’s Official COVID-19 Caseload Tops 20 Million

HeadlineMay 04, 2021

India reported another 357,000 new coronavirus cases and nearly 3,500 deaths Tuesday, as India’s total caseload during the pandemic passed 20 million. A critical shortage of oxygen showed no signs of abating, with residents turning to social media to appeal for oxygen canisters for sick relatives and friends. Meanwhile, long lines at crematoriums and overflowing hospitals across India suggest the government is vastly underreporting the extent of India’s crisis. This is a worker at a crematorium in India’s capital, New Delhi.

Om Prakash: “People have to wait for at least five to seven hours before getting a chance to cremate the bodies. The bodies are not even being cremated properly because there are only four to five priests who are performing the rituals. Although, as you can see, the bodies are being cremated rapidly, there is still a long queue of ambulances carrying bodies of COVID-19 victims outside the crematorium.”

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