Here is your ten-point cheat sheet on this big story:
After distress messages on social media caught the world's attention over the last few weeks, the Supreme Court has formed a 12-member National Task Force to assess availability and distribution of medical oxygen. "We expect leading experts in the country shall associate with the Task Force, as members and resource persons," the court said in its final order.
As India fights a deadly second wave, an anti-Covid drug - developed by the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) - has been cleared for emergency use by the drug regulator DCGI. Clinical trial results showed a molecule present in the drug helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.
The government on Saturday said it has revised the national policy for admission of Covid patients as it told the hospitals that "no patient will be refused on any count". A coronavirus test report is no longer needed for hospitalisation. Hospitals can't also refuse patients from another city.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dialled up Chief Ministers of four states - Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur - to discuss Covid situation with them. Maharashtra has the country's highest overall caseload.
World Health Organization's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, in an interview with news agency AFP, has said the B.1.617 variant of COVID-19, which was first detected in last October, was clearly a contributing factor to the frightening Covid surge.
India lost two hockey stars on Saturday. Two members of the country's last Olympic gold medal-winning hockey team in Moscow 1980, Ravindra Pal Singh and Maharaj Krishan Kaushik, died from coronavirus.
A large number of states have announced lockdowns as opposition leaders urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce nationwide curbs. On Saturday, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry announced curbs. Kerala, Bihar, and Karnataka are among many other states that have already enforced strict restrictions to check the spread of the virus.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Saturday that over 9 lakh patients are on oxygen support, news agency PTI reported. Shortage of medical oxygen has been one of the top challenges that India is facing amid the fight against second Covid wave.
A hospital in Gujarat's Ahmedabad has reported a rise in the number of Covid patients with a fungal infection - mucormycosis, or black fungus, which can be fatal for transplant recipients. Similar cases have been reported from Maharashtra and Delhi.
Amid a raging global debate over vaccine patent waivers, Pope Francis on Saturday insisted on allowing "universal access to the vaccine" for the virus. Many nations have called for temporary suspension of intellectual property rights to ensure developing nations get vaccines.
(With inputs from PTI, AFP)
From FLiRT To FLuQE: What To Know About The Latest Covid Variants Covid Still Kills 1,700 A Week Around World: WHO Universal Coronavirus Vaccine? New Jab Targets Even Unknown Threats World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Madhya Pradesh's CBI Move: Agency Needs Written Consent To Probe Cases Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report 5 More Suspected Cases Of Chandipura Virus Reported From Gujarat OpenAI Unveils Cheaper Small AI Model GPT-4o Mini Man Insulted By Employer's Son Takes Revenge, Robs Him Off Rs 3.5 Crore Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.