India battles surge in coronavirus cases

Health workers in New Delhi, India’s capital, are racing to convert schools into hospitals to make room for new COVID-19 patients. Authorities are diverting oxygen supplies from industry into the health system, while the spike in cases has left labs with a backlog in testing. India reported 295,041 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday and more than 2,000 deaths for the first time.

What caused the spike? When infections dropped earlier this year, authorities allowed large crowds to gather for the Holi spring festival in March. Authorities also refused to delay ongoing elections in the eastern West Bengal state, where large crowds have continued to gather for rallies.

A major vaccine producer, India has delayed global deliveries to focus on the demand at home. The country’s two largest cities have imposed restrictive lockdowns, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged states to create micro-containment zones instead. India has confirmed more than 15.6 million cases, the second-highest after the United States, and more than 182,000 deaths.

Dig deeper: Read a report by Emily Belz, Jamie Dean, Leah Hickman, and Charissa Koh on getting back to normal in the United States after a year of pandemic life.