India's COVID-19 cases rise by 392,488 - health ministry
India's COVID-19 cases rise by 392,488 - health ministry
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India s new coronavirus cases rose by 392,488, while deaths from COVID-19 jumped by 3,689 over the past 24 hours, according to health ministry data released on Sunday.
India s total case load now stands at 19.56 million with 215,542 killed by the virus.
Several states in India have run out of vaccines against COVID-19, exacerbating a dire second wave of infections that has left hospitals and morgues overflowing while families scramble for increasingly scarce medicines and oxygen.
"Come back to us. How will we live without you?" wailed Aanchal Sharma and her mother-in-law over the lifeless body of her husband, waiting like so many others for their turn at a crematorium on the outskirts of New Delhi.
In the parking lot, more than 10 ambulances containing corpses lined up while workers cleared ashes from pyres that had spilled over from the main cremation area.
Medical experts say real numbers may be five to 10 times higher than the official tally. Patients have been begging for spaces in hospitals while oxygen tanks are scarce and prized.
Despite being the world s biggest producer of vaccines, India now does not have enough for itself - undermining a plan to ramp up and widen inoculation from Saturday.
Only about 9% of its 1.4 billion people have had a dose.
"I registered to get a slot 28 days before, but now they are saying there are no vaccines," complained Jasmin Oza on Twitter.
