2021 started with a hope of a return to pre-Covid lives after a year of pandemic. Curbs eased and travel picked up as people hoped for new beginnings. And then the second wave struck and not one person was left in the country who did not know the pain of losing someone close. As cases dropped and vaccination picked up, time started healing. The shadow of the third wave remained, but we started inching back to life. As the year ends, the curbs are returning and the third wave seems close. Hope and fear hang in a delicate balance as we welcome another new year under the shadow of the pandemic.
January: India begins vaccination drive, starting with healthcare workers, as case count remains low. By then, most states have scaled down curbs and travel has picked up.
February: Daily case count falls below the 9,000-mark for the first time in months. Domestic travel picks up and the country breathes a sigh of relief, unaware of what's coming.
March: The spike begins again. India records a daily case count of 68,020, highest in five months. In many states, restrictions make a return.
April: Vaccinations were opened up to all over the age of 45. The daily case numbers keep rising exponentially, crossing grim milestones of 1 lakh, 2 lakh and then 3 lakh new infections in a day. Health infrastructure is found wanting in face of the surge and the squabble for beds and oxygen supply begins.
April 23-May 1: National capital Delhi witnesses nine days of Covid hell as people start dying in the long wait for hospital beds and oxygen supply. Black marketing of oxygen cylinders and life-saving drugs begin and SOS messages do the rounds on WhatsApp groups of people desperately seeking help for their loved ones. Queues at crematoriums and burial grounds.
May: Daily case count crosses the 4 lakh mark and daily death numbers near 4,000. Vaccinations extended to all above the age of 18 but shortage of doses hits the pace of immunisation. Later in May, while the case count dipped, the death numbers kept rising, crossing the 4,500 mark.
June: Amid shortage of shots, the centre revises its vaccine policy, announcing free jabs for all and taking control of procurement and supply. Daily Covid counts continue to drop.
July: Many states ease curbs on public movement and activities as cases and positivity rates continue to drop in most parts of the country.
August: The easing of curbs continues as key cities remove deadlines for shops. In some cities, physical classes in schools resume partially. Hospital occupancy drop significantly.
September: More curbs lifted, public transport, including Delhi Metro, resumes services cautiously. Restaurants and pubs reopen after a year-and-a-half.
October: The festival season begins under the shadow of a potential third wave of Covid infections. Authorities appeal to the public to not let the guard down. India reaches 100-crore vaccination milestone.
November: Omicron emerges as the highly transmissible new variant from South Africa. International case counts start spiking again as India braces for another spike. Testing at airports stepped up.
December: Curbs back in Delhi, Mumbai and other key cities as daily case counts rise rapidly. India clears booster health workers, frontline workers and the elderly. Vaccinations set to begin in the 15-18 years age group as the threat of the dreaded third wave looms large.
