India on Sunday reported a record daily rise of 349,691 new coronavirus infections, taking its overall tally to 1,69,60,172.
A total of 2,767 people were reported dead on Sunday, according to health ministry data, taking total coronavirus fatalities to 192,311.
SOS messages are being sent out by top hospitals, patients and their family and friends amid shortage of medical oxygen and hospital beds.
Areas with Covid positivity rates over 10 per cent must be locked down, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria told NDTV on Saturday, as the government scrambles to contain a deadly second wave that has triggered an oxygen crisis in Delhi and left India's medical infrastructure near collapse.
Dr Guleria said the country's healthcare system was paying the price for the government's failure to anticipate the spread of infections via more aggressive variants of the virus and flagged the urgent need to break the chain of transmission and reduce the skyrocketing active caseload.
Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech said that the Covaxin vaccine will cost Rs 600 for state governments and Rs 1,200 for private hospitals. For exports, the COVID-19 vaccine will cost in the range of $15 to $20. The other vaccine maker in the country, Serum Institute of India, will sell its Covishield at Rs400 a shot to states and Rs 600 to private hospitals.
