Pandemic rages in India

COVID-19 infections and deaths are continuing to mount with alarming speed in India with no end in sight to the crisis. India’s official count of coronavirus cases surpassed 20 million Tuesday, nearly doubling in the past three months. But the true numbers are believed to be far higher with many uncounted cases.

What’s behind the numbers? The Indian government was caught off guard by a recent surge largely fueled by more contagious variants. While the United States leads all major nations in vaccinations, in India, only 2 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report in The Sift about criticism of the Indian government’s COVID-19 response.