India Sees Resurgence Of COVID-19 Cases Amid Slow Vaccine Rollout

After a brief lull in COVID-19 cases in India, the country is now witnessing a resurgence. Several states have imposed partial restrictions and are considering another lockdown amid a rise in caseloads and a slow vaccine rollout.

India has reported more than 11 million cases — the most in the world after the United States — and over 156,000 deaths. The active cases in the country are 146,907 with two states — Maharashtra in the west and Kerala in the south — accounting for 75% of active cases.

The government asked five states on Tuesday to step up vaccinations of their health care and frontline workers in the wake of the COVID surge, according to letters shared by the health ministry.

India has administered 11 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine since beginning the inoculation drive last month. The country has approved two vaccines for emergency use — “Covaxin,” made locally by pharma company Bharat Biotech, and Oxford University/AstraZeneca’s “Covishield,” produced by Serum Institute of India.

The rollout of vaccinations has been slow in India, with an official saying it was a deliberate decision to understand the “hiccups” of the system. Dr. N.K. Arora, a senior official with the Indian Council of Medical Research's national task force for COVID-19, said the pace will eventually be increased to inoculate about 7 million people a day.

The country is expected to start immunizing people aged 50 and older early next month, and within this group, priority will be given to those 60 and above, The Indian Express reported last week, citing unnamed sources.

The government on Tuesday said two new variants of COVID-19 — N440K and E484Q — were observed in samples from Maharashtra and elsewhere in the country. However, it denied that the mutated versions of the virus were responsible for the rising cases.

There is no direct relation between cases surging in Maharashtra as well as other states and the mutant strains N440K and E484Q, Dr. Balram Bhargava, director general of ICMR, said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

The government is still figuring out the cause behind the rise in COVID cases and will send special teams to states for “deep insights,” according to Business Standard.

Maharashtra, which has recorded the sharpest spike in cases, ordered fresh restrictions and night curfews in some cities. The state recorded over 6,000 cases on Tuesday and 51 deaths, taking the total to over 2 million.

State health officials had last week said cold weather and gatherings for weddings and other events could be behind the rise in cases.

Apart from Maharashtra, at least seven other states have also seen an increase in their coronavirus case numbers.

Kerala reported 4,034 new COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths on Tuesday. The confirmed cases in the state have gone past the 1 million mark.

Dr. Amar Fettle, the southern Indian state's nodal officer for COVID-19, remarked that this could be because unlike some other states, Kerala didn't see a spike in infections last year. He added that when people started going out after the lockdown was relaxed, there was still a large proportion of people who hadn't been exposed to the virus already.

Saying India was still vulnerable, the government on Tuesday urged people to follow coronavirus-appropriate measures — like wearing masks and avoiding social events. In recent weeks, these guidelines have largely been flouted across the country as life returned to normal and crowds started gathering in markets.