India continues struggling with COVID-19 2nd wave as new cases fall

India continues struggling with the second wave of COVID-19 outbreak with the single-day spike lingering near 225,000 and daily deaths hovering around 4,500.

With lockdowns in most states across the country, the daily cases have fallen from over 400,000 for days in the past few weeks. Monday saw the eighth consecutive day when less than 300,000 new cases were recorded in a single day.

The second wave, which erupted in February in the country, has brought the total death toll to 303,720 as 4,454 deaths were reported in 24 hours till Monday morning.

Amid fears that the country might be hit by a third COVID-19 wave anytime soon, which would particularly hit the children, a top healthcare executive on Monday said that there was no need to panic.

"It has been said that children will be infected the most in the third wave but the Pediatrics Association has said that this is not based on facts," Director of the Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Dr. Randeep Guleria said.

He added that there was no indication as of now that children would be severely affected in the third wave of COVID-19.

An official statement issued by the federal Health Ministry on Sunday said that India crossed a significant landmark in its fight against the pandemic with more than 10 million vaccine doses administered for people in the 18-44 age group under Phase-3 of the vaccination drive.

Vaccination is an integral pillar of the comprehensive strategy of the federal government for containment and management of the pandemic, along with test, track, treat and COVID Appropriate Behavior (CAB).

A total of 196,051,962 vaccine doses have been administered so far across the country, as per the provisional report on Monday, according to the statement.

On Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the extension of lockdown till the end of May, saying "it was required so that gains made after much struggle are not lost."

He said that unlocking will begin in a phased manner with effect from May 31 onwards if pandemic cases in the city continue to decline, adding that the government has started preparations for a third coronavirus wave.

The national capital recorded 1,550 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking its tally to 1,418,418, as 207 deaths were reported in 24 hours, pushing the total death toll to 23,409.

As per official figures, there were around 500 cases of black fungus, or Mucormycosis, in Delhi, which is facing a shortage of Amphotericin-B injection used in the treatment of the disease.

Speaking to Xinhua, Dr. Sanjeev Dimri, a leading microbiologist with the Saraswathi Institute of Medical Sciences, a major COVID-19 care center in Uttar Pradesh, said that Mucormycosis can be dealt with amicably by maintaining cleanliness and hygiene around the patient.

"In case oxygen cylinder is used, the oxygen tubes should be changed frequently, and only sterile water should be used for passing the oxygen through the tube to the patient," he said.

Mucormycosis has emerged as one of the major concerns among COVID-19 patients, particularly those suffering from acute diabetic conditions. Many Indian states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, among others, have reported Mucormycosis cases.

If left untreated on time, Mucormycosis first affects the sinus, then it travels to the patient's eyes and finally to the brain leading to death. In many cases one of the eyes of the patient has to be removed in a bid to save human life.