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Horrifying moment dying Covid patients gasp for breath as Indian hospital runs out of oxygen in virus ‘apocalypse’
HARROWING footage shows dying Covid patients gasping for breath in an Indian hospital as oxygen supplies run out.
The country is being ravaged by an apocalyptic second wave that has seen struggling hospitals overwhelmed by patients.
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Covid patients are "dying on the pavement" outside hospitals in India - with doctors fearing infections will soon hit 500,000 per day as they hit a record peak for a fifth day on Monday.
Some experts believe the number of cases could be up five times higher than the official cases show.
The Health Ministry reported another 2,767 deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing Indias fatalities to 192,311.
One gravedigger told the BBC people were "dying like animals" as resources run out to hold proper funerals.
Video has been released showing the full horror even for those lucky enough to get admitted to a hospital as the government came under fire for its handling of the crisis.
It comes as:
- UK sends ventilators to India to help overwhelmed hospitals
- IPL chiefs vow tournament will go ahead despite the crisis
- India threatens to 'hang' officials delaying oxygen supplies
- Cases could hit 500,000 a day as death toll mounts
The footage, taken inside a hospital in Patiala, shows patients gasping for breath on a packed ward.
As the camera pans around, medics can be seen desperately pumping the chests of patients being treated for Covid as oxygen supplies run out.
The footage was taken by a woman who was in hospital visiting her mother with her sister.
She be heard wailing and talking angrily about the hospital and its bosses.
The woman then turns the camera onto her mother, who’s lying unconscious on a bed being comforted and hugged by her sister.
“I will get this hospital sealed. They're all dogs. Every patient is struggling at a time when there is no oxygen cylinder available,” says the woman in the video.
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“The hospital administration will kill everyone. Please, close down this hospital. They've killed everyone over here.”
The video ends with the sound of crying and the distraught sister with her head on her mum’s chest. She later passed away.
Meanwhile video has emerged showing body falling out of an overloaded ambulance.
The corpse fell out as the vehicle turned a corner, prompting horrified by-standers to rush to the scene.
Experts in the country believed such a dire situation was created by holding political rallies besides the Kumbh Mela, the mega Hindu festival which ended up being a super spreader event.
“Every day, we receive a number of patients with bilateral pneumonia including youngsters," said Dr Rahul Sharma, a pulmonologist from Uttar Pradesh.
"It’s something that has haunted us. Indeed, it’s hell.”
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Bhramar Mukherjee, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan who has been following the situation in India closely, said the true number of cases could be up to five times higher.
“It’s a complete massacre of data," he said.
“From all the modeling we’ve done, we believe the true number of deaths is two to five times what is being reported.”
In a sign of its desperate situation, India has promised to "hang" anyone who delays the delivery of oxygen supplies
A high court in New Delhi today warned it would use the death penalty after brazen local officials intercepted and diverted oxygen tanks to desperate hospitals in their areas.
The court, which was hearing submissions by a group of hospitals over the oxygen shortages, described the devastating rise in infections as a "tsunami".
Tanks of oxygen are being shuttled across the country to hotspots to keep up with the demand
But local officials in several states have disrupted movement of tankers and diverted supplies to their areas.
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A tanker-truck carrying oxygen supplies in Delhi’s neighboring state of Haryana went missing yesterday.
Meanwhile ventilators are being sent to India from the UK, as the international community promises help to the stricken country.
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Nine airline container loads of supplies, including 495 oxygen concentrators, 120 non-invasive ventilators and 20 manual ventilators - are set to be sent to India this week.
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