Summary

1. India has seen more Covid cases in the last seven days than any other country
2. A ferocious second wave has seen the official death toll surpass 200,000 - experts
believe the actual number may be higher
3. People have died waiting for beds, as oxygen supplies run low and hospitals crumble
under the strain
4. From today all adults over 18 can sign up for Covid vaccines - only 1.6% of India's
population is fully vaccinated
5. US President Joe Biden says he intends to send vaccines to India
6. The BBC is bringing you a special day of coverage across TV, radio and digital on
India's crisis
7. We’re following families as they search for oxygen for loved ones, and getting
updates from areas likely to be hit hardest next

 Live Reporting
 Related Stories
your questions answered
India Covid: What questions do you have?
 Send in your questions

Live Reporting
Edited by Rebecca Seales

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 Send an email to Haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

1. Posted at 14:3014:30

Why it’s so hard to get oxygen to where it's needed

The oxygen India’s hospitals are relying on is not the same as the air we breathe.

It is liquid, pale blue and kept at a temperature of around -183C.

Only around 500 factories in India actually have the ability to extract and purify oxygen from air, with special tankers sometimes
queuing for hours in order to get their supply - and that’s before they make their very slow and careful journey across the country.

Find out more here.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

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2. Posted at 14:2714:27

British Indians 'working in NHS while worrying about loved ones in

India'
Speaking in the UK Parliament, Labour's shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy says the peak of the crisis "may well be weeks
away", adding that "the ties between our countries are woven into this nation".

She says many Britons of Indian origin will have gone to work in the NHS and social care while worrying about loved ones in
India.

She says India is still "desperately short" of oxygen concentrators, ventilators and therapeutic drugs.

It would be helpful for India and also the whole world if UK scientists could help India track genomic mutations in its Covid-19
outbreak, she suggests.

Foreign Minister Nigel Adams says the UK was the first country to deliver support to the Indian people.

He says there is "more to come" on equipment and support for India, and the UK government will respond to what is needed by
the Indian people as quickly as possible.

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3. Posted at 14:2214:22

Analysis: A tragic sense of inevitability

Rajini Vaidyanathan

BBC South Asia Correspondent

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

A man waits outside a factory to have an oxygen cylinder refilledImage caption: A man waits outside a factory to have an oxygen
cylinder refilled

It’s a horror story on repeat. Every day this week I've woken up to messages from friends and family in India, begging for help.

Social media posts document the desperation. And it’s not just in Delhi, it’s in every corner of the country.

“Can anyone find a bed in Jaipur for a friend’s father?”

“Who can help find some oxygen for a friend’s grandmother in Uttar Pradesh?”

“There are no beds in Pune, what should we do?”

And sometimes the messages are even bleaker. “My neighbour died yesterday,” a friend said yesterday. “We couldn’t get him a
bed.”

Watching from afar, images of a broken India are hard to process.

Taxis have been turned into makeshift ambulances. Car parks have become crematoriums. Freedom has turned into fear.

“I worry I might get the virus while I walk my dog,” another friend tells me, as she struggles through Delhi’s ongoing lockdown.

There’s been some hope, as aid is starting to reach India from overseas. Even regional rivals Pakistan and China have put aside
their differences to pledge help.

But nothing is enough, as cases continue to swamp India. As the world looks on at the endless images of burning pyres, there’s a
tragic sense of inevitability.
 Tomorrow, these scenes will be the same. No cry for help can save what India has already lost.

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4. your questions answered

Posted at 14:1014:10

How can we help from the UK?

Question from Kate in UK

Sima Kotecha

Newsnight Correspondent, BBC News

The depth of feeling among people of South Asian heritage here in Britain is inescapable. Watching the constant stream of
horrific pictures coming out of what some describe as their motherland has been heart-breaking and draining.

Many are desperate to help, so various UK charities have set up donation pages to raise money for oxygen concentrators as the
country grapples with a severe shortage.

British Indian doctors tell us they’re providing advice and support to healthcare officials on the phone, with some arguing they’re
more experienced in Covid after dealing with several surges of the virus over here.

Temples are also hosting special prayer