High death numbers in India

US

Cases, + 46,032 = 31,484,148

Deaths, + 255 (+ 4,881 - 7 days) = 566,292

Vaccinations

At least one dose, 133 million

Two doses, 86 million

Doses distributed, 264.5 million

Therefore, doses available, 44.4 million

US and India Serum Institute

Global supply chains

India

B.1.617 seems to be outcompeting UK and Brazil variants

Levels of immune escape seem to be there

Early March, India's Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

Country was in the endgame

of the Covid-19 pandemic.

K Srinath Reddy, Public Health Foundation of India

There was a feeling of triumphalism

Some felt we had achieved herd immunity.

Everyone wanted to get back to work.

This narrative fell on many receptive ears, and the few voices of caution were not heeded

Deaths, 180,000

Non-stop cremations

Gujarat, Kamlesh Sailor (Crem manager)

We are working around the clock at 100 percent capacity to cremate bodies on time

Surat, Gujarat

Cremated more than 100 bodies a day over the last week

Surat, deaths in past week = 25

Ramnath Ghela Crematorium

Last month 20 per day

Now 80 per day

India, vaccinations

First dose, 127 million

3.5 million per day

70,000 vaccination centres

UK India variant

9th April

Bangladesh, Pakistan, both red listed

13th April

Bangladesh, had South Africa, not Brazil variant

Pakistan, had neither

India, had both

Now, 20th April

B.1.617, 103 UK cases, mostly linked to travel

Variant under investigation

Public Health England, 25 March and 7 April

3,345 arrivals from India

Of those 161 (4.8%) tested positive for Covid-19

Prof Mark Walport, UK's former chief scientific adviser

These decisions are almost inevitably taken a bit too late in truth, but what's absolutely clear is that this variant is more transmissible in India

Becoming the dominant variant in India

so there's good reasons for wanting to keep it out of the country if at all possible

From 04:00 BST on Friday 23 April

Most people who have travelled from or through India in the last 10 days will be refused entry

Others, Red listed

UK variants, official tracker

ONS

Prevalence

The percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus has decreased in all four UK countries

Up to 10 April 2021

England

112,600 people (0.21%) in the community

(3rd April, 161,900)

1 in 480 people

Wales

3,300 people (0.11%)

(3rd April, 3,800)

1 in 920 people

Northern Ireland

2,600 people (0.14%)

(3rd April, 6,100)

1 in 710 people

Scotland

10,500 people (0.20%)

(3rd April, 13,000)

1 in 500 people

UK, now