The second wave of Covid has brought the cities with the nation’s most developed healthcare systems to the brink. Everything on the ground, be it oxygen, drugs, beds, vaccines, and even cremation space is running short in India. Oxygen shortage has emerged out to be the most critical one. Despite being the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, only about 20 million Indians have reportedly been vaccinated.
Recently, restrictions were lifted in various states and schools. Testing was significantly reduced. Politicians also held rallies with thousands of unmasked attendees. All these together have become the root cause of the public health failure in India. Experts believe that although the second wave was unavoidable, but its scale and lack of preparation could have been avoided.
However, the catastrophe has exposed the public health system of India and has aggravated tensions between the state and the central government. Furthermore, increased social conflicts and political instability are presenting a stark picture of the nation. But as we know every cloud has a silver lining. Slowly and steadily the number of recovery cases is increasing. Also, the southern states seem to be recovering better than the northern ones. Particularly Kerala has set an example of public health readiness by having surplus production and sharing of oxygen supplies.