Page 4 - The Indian EYE 051421

BIG STORY MAY 14, 2021 | The Indian Eye 4

covid-19 crisis

hidden hOrrOr

What is the real scale of coronavirus tragedy in india? how many deaths?

how many real cases? these questions in the air as the deadly virus claims the
country’s academic, cultural and media elite

Our Bureau
New Delhi

ook at the shocking fig-
ures. In just one week,
LIndia has added about
1.7 million new cases and more
than 20,000 deaths in a second
wave of infections that has over-
whelmed hospitals and medical
staff. Police are patrolling the
banks of the Ganges in Uttar
Pradesh to stop any dumping of
corpses in the river. “We keep
recovering 10 to 20 bodies every
now and then,” Navneet Sehgal,
a spokesman for the northern
state, which has more people
than Brazil, told a news agency.
“We have put a police force on
the river and have also sent com-
munications to local authorities
that this practice be stopped.”
It has been reported in re-
cent days that nearly 2,000 bod-
ies of possible virus victims had People stand in a queue to give swab samples for the COViD19 test amid the rise in cases,
been pulled from the river in the in Kullu. Himachal Pradesh, on Monday. (ani)
past week or so. The state’s virus
infections officially peaked late proved fatal to India’s academ- an ad hoc basis, and demanded nation centres, if a hospital with
last month but experts say many ic elite, cultural field and media medical facilities be extended to COVID-19 facilities could be
more cases are going undetected professionals, which have seen a them as well. built within the university, many
in the villages, home to the bulk high number of deaths – much “In one month, at least 35 lives might have been saved,” he
of the state’s 240 million people. higher to their proportion in the teachers have succumbed to added.
India has been logging glob- general population. COVID-19. There are many Meanwhile, another senior
al daily records of over 300,000 In the last month, Delhi Uni- colleges here where as many as professor of Aligarh Muslim
cases. These numbers are stag- versity has lost over 35 professor three teachers have died. And University succumbed to coro-
gering, but experts and epide- to the ongoing COVID-19 pan- given the situation of the ad hoc navirus at the university’s Jawa-
miological modelers believe demic. According to the Del- teachers, we demand medical harlal Nehru Medical College,
that the real number of COVID hi University Teachers’ Union facilities for them,” Pandey said. pushing the number of serving
fatalities could be much high- (DUTA), each college under The shortage of hospital and retired faculty members
er than the deaths recorded by the university has seen at least beds in the national capital has who have died due to COVID
health departments nationwide. three deaths, between teachers further aggravated the situation, or COVID-like symptoms to at
But the real horror is play- and students. DUTA Vice Pres- with many teachers having to go least 39. Professor Mohammad
ing somewhere else. The virus is ident Dr Alok Ranjan Pandey as far as Ludhiana and Jhajjar Nasiruddin (55) from the de-
attacking the young and elder- said the situation was worse for for a bed. Despite this, many partment of pharmacology died
ly in equal measure. It has also teachers employed especially on did not survive. “Just like vacci- Continued on next page... >>

www.TheIndianEYE .com