WHO lends helping hand to India to curb the spike in COVID-19 cases

The World Health Organization (WHO) is showing signs of leaving no stone unturned in assisting India contain the massive surge in coronavirus cases after it recently announced its plans for supplying oxygen and other critical supplies for the country.

For the record, the death toll in India is now approaching 200,000, and some hospitals are turning away COVID-19 patients due to a lack of oxygen supplies and beds, sources cited.

WHO spokesman, Tarik Jasarevic, mentioned that the situation has escalated due to mass gatherings held by people, more infectious variants, and low vaccination rates, producing a perfect storm.

Jasarevic also cited that the WHO was supplying 4,000 oxygen concentrators that only require an energy source for operating. He further advised people to refrain from hoard essential supplies and also said that the distribution of superior quality masks at a large scale was also crucial to control the transmission.

Over 2,600 WHO experts employed in the nation who were already working on other health programs are now deployed to respond to the pandemic, said the UN agency. In this context, Jasarevic went on to state that the situation worsened with some people going to the hospital when home treatment would suffice. 

Only about 15% of COVID-19 patients require hospitalization and even fewer need oxygen.  Community-level centers should screen and triage patients, and provide guidance on safe home care, he added.

Research continues into virus variants transmitting in the country, including the B.1.617 variant with two mutations, initially discovered from samples collected last December, Jasarevic said, citing some indications that they may be more infectious.

The degree to which these virus changes are responsible for the country's rapid increase in cases remains uncertain, he mentioned.

Knowledgeable sources stated that India's new 323,144 cases in the last 24 hours stood below the global high of 352,991 recorded on Monday, with 2,771 deaths bringing the total to 197,894.

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