Shadhika

India’s COVID-19 Crisis

April 27, 2021

This is a post from our COVID-19 Response page. Stay up-to-date on what is happening in India along with us there.

Over the weekend, India continued to shatter daily COVID-19 cases, recording more than one third of all new global cases each day. What is driving this immense surge almost one year after the first? Several factors have been identified: a newer, more contagious variant and vaccination lag with less than 10 percent of the population having received at least 1 dose – to name a few. Check out this podcast for more insight.

Creating an even more dire situation is the country’s decreasing supply of oxygen to aid its COVID patients. Delhi, the capital, is facing severe shortages, as it relies on outsourced supplies from other Indian states that continue to produce oxygen for export to other countries. Listen to this conversation on The Big Story podcast to learn more what’s causing Delhi’s oxygen crisis.

Globally, the ongoing stressors of the pandemic continue to disproportionately affect women and girls, driving them deeper into poverty. At its 2020 peak, the pandemic forced more women out of the formal workforce and many saw severe increases in their domestic/caregiving responsibilities. The pandemic also affected 1.7 billion students globally, with approximately 1 in 10 children still out of school due to ongoing closures. In India alone, COVID has created education insecurity for an estimated 290 million children.

Many countries have pledged aid to India, and we at Shadhika are committed to do our part as well. Learn more.