India calls for international help to curb the surge of COVID deaths and infections | DW News

On Sunday, India recorded a new daily high of 349,691 coronavirus cases and 2,767 deaths — the worst toll since the start of the pandemic.

India has been calling for a temporary waiver on vaccine patents to allow more countries to manufacture jabs and accelerate their rollout. India's longtime rival, Pakistan, has also offered to deliver medical supplies following a recent thaw in relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors. "As a gesture of solidarity with the people of India in the wake of the current wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has offered to provide relief support to India including ventilators," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement late on Saturday.

The 349,691 coronavirus cases reported in India on Sunday mark a new global single-day record. The country has more than 16.9 million infections in total, behind only the United States. As well as the country's health care system reaching breaking point, crematoriums and burial grounds have been overwhelmed with dead bodies. Delhi, the country's hardest-hit city, on Sunday extended its weeklong lockdown as hospitals struggled with a shortage of beds and oxygen supplies. "We have decided to extend the lockdown by one week ... The havoc of corona[virus] continues and there is no respite. Everyone is in favor of extending the lockdown," Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a video statement. Some 192,311 people have died of the coronavirus in India so far, although experts say the toll is likely a huge undercount. Suspected cases are typically not included and many deaths have been attributed to underlying conditions.

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