India’s leadership criticized for COVID-19 response

At state elections Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party lost the key West Bengal state and two other southern states. The government has faced criticism for its handling of the pandemic, including failing to impose restrictions on a religious festival and political gatherings in recent months. The nation extended vaccinations to all adults, but many states lack doses as well as the funds to secure them.

How bad is the virus surge? India reported more than 368,000 new infections on Monday and 3,417 deaths. On Saturday, 12 patients died at a hospital in New Delhi after it ran out of oxygen for 80 minutes. A fire at another COVID-19 ward in western India killed 18 patients.

Dig deeper: Read my World Tour report on the impact of the surge in India.