The capital is the worst-hit city in India, with new infections threatening to overload the health care system. The country as a whole has reported another record daily rise in cases.
The surge of COVID cases in India has put strain on hospitals and crematoriumsImage: Vijay Pandey/ZUMAPRESS.com/picture alliance
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New Delhi will go into lockdown for almost a week as of Monday evening as COVID-19 infections nationwide continue to surge.
The measure is being introduced as hospitals in the Indian capital start to run out of beds and oxygen supplies.
"If we don't impose a lockdown now, we will be looking at a bigger disaster. From tonight there will be a lockdown until next Monday," said the city's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
"I do not say that the system has collapsed, but it has reached its limits,'' Kejriwal added, saying the lockdown measures were necessary to `"prevent a collapse of the health system.''
The city reported 25,462 new coronavirus cases and 161 COVID deaths in the 24 hours to Monday, the Health Ministry said.
COVID: India's health system under strain as virus crisis deepens
India's worsening coronavirus crisis is putting tremendous pressure on the nation's health infrastructure, with many states reporting a shortage of medical oxygen, treatment drugs and hospital beds.
The image shows relatives of a patient mourning outside a hospital in Ahmedabad city. India reported a record 234,692 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. Experts say the harrowing trend of rising infections can be traced to two factors — extremely virulent mutations of the original virus, and the country's lax approach to restrictions on daily life to slow the spread of infection.
Image: Ajit Solanki/AP Photo/picture alliance
Shortage of oxygen
Several Indian states have reported a severe shortage of medical oxygen, while hospitals across the country are struggling to provide patients sufficient beds. On Sunday, Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that Delhi was facing an acute shortage of oxygen. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked state governments to source medical oxygen from industrial plants.
Image: Ajit Solanki/AP Photo/picture alliance
Crematoriums under pressure
Funeral centers are also struggling to dispose off the rising number of dead bodies and workers are working more than 14 hour shifts to handle the rising number of dead bodies. On Friday, Delhi reported 141 COVID-related deaths — the highest single day fatality count since the beginning of the pandemic.
Hospitals in most major cities are struggling to accommodate all COVID patients. In some places, reports suggest that patients with a severe form of COVID-19 are facing difficulties to secure an intensive care unit (ICU) bed. On Sunday, the Delhi government said that about 1,500 oxygen-equipped beds will be functional within a day or two at two sports complexes and a government school.
Amid the virus surge, state governments appealed for additional supplies of oxygen and treatment drugs. The federal government said special trains would transport oxygen tankers to needy states, and that oxygen use for industrial purposes would be limited. Meanwhile, the shortages are forcing some people to purchase critical drugs and oxygen from the black market.
India reported a record jump in daily coronavirus infections nationwide on Monday, with 273,810 cases in the preceding 24 hours.
Total infections have now passed the 15 million mark — approaching the number in the United States, the world's worst-hit country.
A total of 178,769 people have now been confirmed to have died of COVID-19, also a record increase of 1,619 over the day before.
Despite the surge in infections, religious festivals and election rallies drawing thousands have continued, leading to criticism of the government's management of the pandemic.
The country had administered 123.9 million doses of vaccine as of Monday — the most in the world after the US and China. Per capita, it ranks much lower owing to its population of more than 1.3 billion people.
India has approved three vaccines so far: Covaxin, developed and manufactured in India; AstraZeneca, which is being produced in India as Covishield; and the Russian-made Sputnik V.
