India reported 352,991 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the fifth consecutive day of more than 300,000 coronavirus infections in the South Asian nation as it deals with a catastrophic second wave of the pandemic.   The country’s health care system has collapsed in the wave, with hospitals filled beyond capacity and unable to care for any new patients and a shortage of oxygen canisters so dire that some COVID patients are literally gasping for air.   Municipal workers prepare to bury the body of a person who died of COVID-19, in Gauhati, India, Apr. 25, 2021.India also posted 2,812 deaths Monday, another record one-day number, as crematories have been busy night and day setting fire to the dead.  The capital New Delhi has extended a lockdown that was set to expire on Monday for another week.  The second wave has been blamed on the spread of more contagious variants of the virus, plus the easing of restrictions on large crowds when the outbreak appeared to be under control earlier this year Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has come under fire for holding packed political rallies and allowing an annual Hindu religious festival that attracted millions of pilgrims,   urged all Indians to get vaccinated in his monthly radio address Sunday and not be swayed by what he called “any rumor about the vaccine.” India has administered almost 138 million doses of the vaccine, but only 1.6% of its estimated 1.4 billion people are fully vaccinated, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. People wearing protective face masks wait to receive a vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a vaccination center in Mumbai, India, Apr. 26, 2021.World sends badly needed aid The crisis has prompted members of the international community to rush critically needed medical supplies to India.  U.S. President Joe Biden announced Sunday that the United States will send raw materials to produce vaccines, plus ventilators, rapid diagnostic testing kits and personal protective equipment.  From his Twitter account, he said, “Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need.” But the administration is also under growing pressure to release its warehoused stockpile of COVID-19 vaccines to India, including the two-shot AstraZeneca vaccine, which has not been approved for use in the U.S. On ABC’s Sunday morning public affairs show “This Week,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president’s top medical adviser, said that a proposal for the U.S. to send more than 20 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine “is up for active consideration.” Several transport planes left Britain Monday for India, carrying hundreds of items including ventilators and oxygen concentrators, which collects atmospheric air and converts it into pure oxygen.  Other countries, including France and Germany have said they will also help, along with India’s longtime arch-foe Pakistan. India now has more than 17.3 million total cases — just second behind the United States —  including 195,123 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.  India’s death toll is fourth behind the U.S., Brazil and Mexico. Thailand, which has banned travelers from India, is undergoing its own surge of new coronavirus cases.  The government ordered the closure of movie theaters, gyms and parks beginning Monday and lasting until May 9, as it posted 2,048 new cases, bringing its overall casualty rate to 57,508 infections, including 148 coronavirus-related fatalities.EU to allow vaccinated US touristsMeanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, told The New York Times Sunday that American tourists who have been fully vaccinated will be allowed to visit the European Union this summer.  Greece to Lift Quarantine Rule for More Inbound Visitors Restrictions on coronavirus-free visitors from more countries including Australia and Russia from MondayVon Der Leyen said the rapid pace of vaccinations in the United States, along with advanced talks between officials in the U.S. and the EU. over the issue of official vaccine certificates as proof of immunity, will enable the 27-member bloc’s executive body to restore trans-Atlantic travel.   And Hong Kong and Singapore announced Monday they would launch a two-way “travel bubble” beginning May 26 that would do away with mandatory quarantine periods for visitors to either destination.  The bubble was initially set to begin last November, but was postponed due to a surge of COVID-19 infections in Hong Kong.
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