news Covid19-Coronavirus updates and news

[Mister Funsky]

Having relatives and friends scattered all over the globe, I am getting an overload of input (some on the record and some off the record).

My intention for this thread is for community members from around the world to post first hand stories and/or links to information sources that, for the most part, should be reliable.

In my community, just outside a major southeastern city, 'assets' have been placed. Only because I have friends in both high and low places have I heard about some of this. At this point it is only some basic medical supplies that should be equally distributed anyway in preparation for a natural emergency (hurricane/wildfire/etc.).

I will start with posting a link to a site with current data that seems to come from an aggregate of sources and hope others will do the same as they come across similar sites/pages.

Because of the 'typhoid Mary' spread-ability of this disease, I feel we may be in for a really large spread globally which will impact the global economy and through extension, retail domain prices.

One thing is for sure...things will get worse before they get better.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa-coronavirus/

 

[Sutruk]

EMA says J&J linked to 'rare' clot, but benefits outweigh risks

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-04-ema-links-johnson-vaccine-blood.html

"Blood clots should be listed as a "very rare" side effect of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine but its benefits still outweigh the risks, the EU's drug watchdog said Tuesday.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said in a statement that it had found a "possible link" between the J&J jab and the clots, following eight such cases in the United States, one of which was fatal.

The US pharmaceutical giant's vaccine is the second to be tied to the rare clots that mainly affect vessels leading to the brain, after the shot made by British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca.

"EMA finds possible link to very rare cases of unusual blood clots with low blood platelets," the Amsterdam-based agency said in a statement, adding that it "confirms (the) overall benefit-risk remains positive".

Its experts also "concluded that these events should be listed as very rare side effects of the vaccine."

"The cases reviewed were very similar to the cases that occurred with the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca" it added."

 

[Sutruk]

Moderna: Third booster COVID-19 vaccine shot available by fall

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-04-moderna-booster-covid-vaccine-shot.html

"Moderna says a third booster shot for its two-dose COVID-19 vaccine will be available in the United States by the fall.

The announcement was made by company CEO Stéphane Bancel, CBS News reported.

Studies show that the Moderna vaccine is more than 90 percent effective six months after the second dose, but it is unclear how long it provides protection. That is also true of the Pfizer two-dose vaccine.

"There will be likely a need for a third dose, somewhere between six and 12 months. And then from there, there will be an annual revaccination. But all of that needs to be confirmed," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said last week during a virtual event hosted by CVS Health, CBS News reported."

 

[koolishman]

Double Masking to Protect Yourself From COVID-19? New Research Shows How to Double the Effectiveness

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that wearing two face coverings can nearly double the effectiveness of filtering out SARS-CoV-2-sized particles, preventing them from reaching the wearer’s nose and mouth and causing COVID-19.

 

[CraigD]

I was always a fan of Terrible Ted until he aligned with deniers. Hopefully he will make an impact announcing his infection.

Nah, the deniers will just put it down to him being run over by a tandem gravel truck doing a four-wheel drift.

I'm paraphrasing Ted btw

He made another enlightening statement a while back:

“I would ask you, because I’m addicted to truth, logic and common sense, and my common sense meter would demand the answer to, ‘why weren’t we shut down for COVID-1 through -18?

There was a COVID-1, and there was a COVID-2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9, -10, -11, -12, -13, -14, -15, -16, -17, -18. COVID-1 through -18 didn’t shut anything down, but woah, COVID-19 [did], even though it’s 99.8 per cent survivable.”

- Source​

Yes, great guitarist!

 

[Sutruk]

Double Masking to Protect Yourself From COVID-19? New Research Shows How to Double the Effectiveness

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine shows that wearing two face coverings can nearly double the effectiveness of filtering out SARS-CoV-2-sized particles, preventing them from reaching the wearer’s nose and mouth and causing COVID-19.

Just to point out the key fact about double masking is when one of them is a loosely fitted mask, then it makes sense to add another snug-fitting mask. The key is to wear a very snug-fitting mask so there won't be any air leak. If your mask is a loosely fitted one, you will breathe through the gaps between the mask and your face, and not through the mask filter:

"The reason for the enhanced filtration isn’t so much adding layers of cloth, but eliminating any gaps or poor-fitting areas of a mask. “The medical procedure masks are designed to have very good filtration potential based on their material, but the way they fit our faces isn’t perfect,”

“We’ve found that wearing two loosely fitted masks will not give you the filtration benefit that one, snug-fitting procedure mask will,” Sickbert-Bennett said. “And with the current data supporting how effective mask-wearing is at preventing the spread of COVID-19, the best kind of double-masking is when you and the person you are interacting with are each correctly wearing a very snug-fitting mask.”

 

[Mister Funsky]

Current Covid19 death numbers as of 9:00 am EST are below, primarily from the source in the original post (https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus). If your country of interest is not listed below, simply go to the link above to do a search for relevant information.

Total: 3,061,187
United States: 582,499
Brazil: 378,530
India: 182,570
Russia: 106,706
United Kingdom: 127,307
France: 101,180
Italy: 117,633
Spain: 77,216
Mexico: 213,048
Poland: 63,473
South Africa: 53,887
Indonesia: 44,007
Netherlands: 16,965
Canada: 23,713
Chile: 25,317
Belgium: 23,834
Philippines: 16,265
Japan : 9,710
Bolivia: 12,695
Papua New Guinea: 91

 

[MasterOfMyDomains]

were locking down up here. No rv's on ferries, roadblocks placed at certain locations to ensure you stay in your health region
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/travel/current
https://www.tricitynews.com/coronav...l-rules-a-logistical-nightmare-expert-3649850

Lots planes landing at our airport yesterday. More than i seen in a month, scary.

I have signed up for my shot, but waiting for them to contact me.
second shot, a friend got his first one(AZ), will be 6 months. You dont want to be driving around BC in out of province plates, and those freaks that protest on saturdays, there is talk on the book us that follow rules are getting a little upset. One saturday, Kelowna is gonna rock
Were supposed to be in this together..
Glad macdonalds drive thru is open, need coffee and muffin, but looking in drive thru window see 15 kiddies in a 20 square foot area. They dont care, I say worse before better. So many business not following rules is why i say that

 

[Cal2]

Nah, the deniers will just put it down to him being run over by a tandem gravel truck doing a four-wheel drift.

I'm paraphrasing Ted btw

He made another enlightening statement a while back:

“I would ask you, because I’m addicted to truth, logic and common sense, and my common sense meter would demand the answer to, ‘why weren’t we shut down for COVID-1 through -18?

There was a COVID-1, and there was a COVID-2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7, -8, -9, -10, -11, -12, -13, -14, -15, -16, -17, -18. COVID-1 through -18 didn’t shut anything down, but woah, COVID-19 [did], even though it’s 99.8 per cent survivable.”

- Source​

Yes, great guitarist!

He should stick to singing and guitar playing. Good critical thinking doesn't seem to be a strong point for him.

 

[CraigD]

‘The system has collapsed’: India’s descent into Covid hell

Many falsely believed that the country had defeated Covid. Now hospitals are running out of oxygen and bodies are stacking up in morgues.

Looking out over a sea of jostling, maskless faces gathered at a political rally in West Bengal on Saturday, the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, proudly proclaimed that he had “never ever seen such huge crowds”. A mask was also noticeably absent from Modi’s face.

That same day, India registered a record-breaking 234,000 new coronavirus cases and 1,341 deaths – and the numbers have kept rising since.

The country has descended into a tragedy of unprecedented proportions. Almost 1.6 million cases have been registered in a week, bringing total cases to more than 15 million. In the space of just 12 days, the Covid positivity rate doubled to 17%, while in Delhi it hit 30%. Hospitals across the country have filled to capacity but this time it is predominately the young taking up the beds; in Delhi, 65% of cases are under 40 years old.

While the unprecedented spread of the virus has been partly blamed on a more contagious variant that has emerged in India, Modi’s government has also been accused of failures of political leadership from the top, with lax attitudes emulated by state and local leaders from all parties and even health officials across the country, which led many to falsely believe in recent months that India had defeated Covid.

“Leadership across the country did not adequately convey that this was an epidemic which had not gone away,” said K Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India.

Victory was declared prematurely and that ebullient mood was communicated across the country, especially by politicians who wanted to get the economy going and wanted to get back to campaigning. And that gave the virus the chance to rise again.”

Read on...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/21/system-has-collapsed-india-descent-into-covid-hell

 

[Sutruk]

US to hit 200 million vaccine doses target 'this week:' W.House

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-04-million-vaccine-doses-week-whouse.html

"The United States will hit President Joe Biden's target of administering 200 million doses of coronavirus vaccines within his first 100 days in office by the end of this week, the White House said Wednesday.

Biden will make a speech later in which he will "note that the United States will reach over 200 million shots this week," a White House official said on condition of anonymity.

The achievement comes in slightly ahead of schedule, with Biden marking his 100th day in office at the end of next week.

While the United States leads the world in COVID-19 deaths, it has also raced ahead in the vaccination stakes, outperforming some major European countries and neighboring Canada.

Biden came into office on January 20 initially vowing to get 100 million shots administered in his first 100 days. On March 25, with vaccination deliveries far ahead of their targets, he doubled the goal.

"I know it's ambitious, twice our original goal," Biden said. "But no other country in the world has even come close—not even close—to what we are doing."

-----------------------

'We did it': Biden celebrates U.S. hitting milestone of 200 million doses in his first 100 days

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/wh...n-reaches-200-million-dose-milestone-n1264782

"The U.S. had administered 199,426,628 as of April 21, according to an NBC News tracker, well on pace with eight days remaining to reach his goal for the first 100 days.

Biden said the country is entering a new phase in its vaccination efforts as it starts to shift its focus from getting the vaccine to those most at risk to the general population.

"The time is now to open up a new phase of this historic vaccination effort," he said. "To put it simply, if you've been waiting for your turn, wait no longer. Now's the time for everyone over 16 years of age to get vaccinated."

 

[CraigD]

[UK news]
Covid: Plan for pills to treat virus at home by autumn

A search for simple treatments for Covid that can be taken at home has been launched by Boris Johnson.

The PM said he hoped pills or capsules could be available by the autumn to help fight an anticipated third wave.

The aim would be to give them to people who have tested positive or exposed to someone who has.

An antiviral taskforce is being set up to oversee the work and future trials - as yet there are no treatments identified that could be used.

For the first time since September the latest figures show fewer than 2,000 Covid-19 patients in hospital.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-56823627

 

[koolishman]

EU prepares legal action against AstraZeneca over vaccine delivery shortages

The European Union is preparing legal action against AstraZeneca over shortfalls in deliveries of its coronavirus vaccine, according to four people familiar with the matter.

The EU and the pharmaceutical giant have been at odds on several different occasions this year. Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca said it could not deliver as many vaccines as the bloc was counting on, both during the first quarter and the second quarter. This has delayed the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines across the 27 EU nations.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, told the 27 European ambassadors at a meeting on Wednesday that it was considering legal action against AstraZeneca for these delivery issues, four EU officials, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, told CNBC Thursday. Politico first reported the commission’s plan late Wednesday.

“The commission wants to move fast. It is a matter of days,” one of the officials told CNBC via telephone, adding that there had been “large support” from the ambassadors for the legal action.

The same official explained that there were only “a few legal questions” being examined before the process goes ahead.

A second official said the commission is taking this step because it wants to ensure that upcoming deliveries do meet expectations.

When contacted by CNBC Thursday, a spokesperson for the European Commission said: “What matters is that we ensure the delivery of a sufficient number of doses in line with the company’s earlier commitments.”

“Together with the Member States, we are looking at all options to make this happen,” the same spokesperson said, not confirming or denying that legal action was being considered.

 

[koolishman]

Scientific paper claiming smokers less likely to acquire Covid retracted over tobacco industry links

Analysis of the paper identified several biases ‘which may give the false impression that smoking is protective in Covid-19’

A scientific paper claiming current smokers are 23% less likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19 compared to non-smokers has been retracted by a medical journal, after it was discovered some of the paper’s authors had financial links to the tobacco industry.

The World Health Organization has warned that because smoking impairs lung function, there is an increased risk of severe symptoms if respiratory infections, including coronaviruses, are acquired by smokers. Covid-19 is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the lungs.


But the paper, published in July last year by the European Respiratory Journal, found “current smoking was not associated with adverse outcome” in patients admitted to hospital with Covid, and claimed smokers were at a significantly lower risk of acquiring the virus. The paper was reported on by several mainstream media outlets.

The latest edition of the European Respiratory Journal included a retraction notice for the paper, stating: “It was brought to the editors’ attention that two of the authors had failed to disclose potential conflicts of interest at the time of the manuscript’s submission.”

“That is, one of the authors (José M. Mier) at the time had a current and ongoing role in providing consultancy to the tobacco industry on tobacco harm reduction; and another (Konstantinos Poulas) at the time was a principal investigator for the Greek NGO NOSMOKE … a science and innovation hub that has received funding from the Foundation for a Smoke Free World (an organisation funded by the tobacco industry).”

Really, what were they thinking?

 

[Sutruk]

India records world’s biggest single-day rise in coronavirus cases

https://www.reuters.com/world/india...-coronavirus-cases-anywhere-world-2021-04-22/

"India recorded the world's highest daily tally of 314,835 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday as a second wave of the pandemic raised new fears about the ability of crumbling health services to cope.

Health officials across northern and western India including the capital, New Delhi, said they were in crisis, with most hospitals full and running out of oxygen.

Right now there are no beds, no oxygen. Everything else is secondary," Shahid Jameel, a virologist and director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University, told Reuters.

"The infrastructure is crumbling."

Some hospitals in New Delhi had run out of oxygen and authorities in neighbouring states were stopping supplies being taken to the capital to save it for their own needs, the city's deputy chief minister, Manish Sisodia said.

"It might become difficult for hospitals here to save lives," Sisodia said in a televised address.

India's total cases are now at 15.93 million, while deaths rose by 2,104 to reach 184,657, according to the latest health ministry data.

The previous record one-day rise in cases was held by the United States, which had 297,430 new cases on one day in January, though its tally has since fallen sharply."

 

[Cal2]

Israeli Pharma Firm Says Nasal Spray Found Highly Effective Against Covid-19, Variants

An Israeli biopharmaceutical company developing powder-based intranasal products announced this week that a spray made by the firm proved highly effective in lab tests against two prominent coronavirus variants, according to the findings of a new study. The spray was previously found to effectively reduce the spread of SARS- CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in a real-world trial last year.

Nasus Pharma said that in a new collaborative study with the Central Virology Laboratory at the Israeli Ministry of Health and the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital, the company’s proprietary Taffix spray “blocked 100 percent” of the two new variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus, the British variant, also known as B.1.1.7, and the South African variant.

https://nocamels.com/2021/04/israeli-nasus-nasal-spray-taffix-covid-variants/

 

[koolishman]

COVID-19 reaches Mount Everest

At least one person at the Mount Everest base camp has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. The number of mountain climbers aiming to tackle Everest this spring is approaching the record set in 2019.

Not even the highest mountain on Earth has been spared the coronavirus. At least one case of the virus has been reported at the base camp on the south side of Mount Everest in Nepal. The US magazine Outside cited an unnamed source at the base camp in its report that a climber who had been flown out with suspected high-altitude pulmonary edema tested positive for COVID-19 at the hospital where he was being treated in Kathmandu. This has forced his team at the base camp to go into quarantine.

The infected climber is a Norwegian, who has said he believes he may have contracted the virus while trekking to the base camp. Other reports indicate that as many as three climbers may have been infected.

 

[koolishman]

Israeli Pharma Firm Says Nasal Spray Found Highly Effective Against Covid-19, Variants

An Israeli biopharmaceutical company developing powder-based intranasal products announced this week that a spray made by the firm proved highly effective in lab tests against two prominent coronavirus variants, according to the findings of a new study. The spray was previously found to effectively reduce the spread of SARS- CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in a real-world trial last year.

Nasus Pharma said that in a new collaborative study with the Central Virology Laboratory at the Israeli Ministry of Health and the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital, the company’s proprietary Taffix spray “blocked 100 percent” of the two new variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus, the British variant, also known as B.1.1.7, and the South African variant.

https://nocamels.com/2021/04/israeli-nasus-nasal-spray-taffix-covid-variants/

There was a news about nasal spray from Israel about 2 months ago. Is this another company? Or just commercial production now?

 

[Cal2]

There was a news about nasal spray from Israel about 2 months ago. Is this another company? Or just commercial production now?

Reads like it could be the same company, but they're testing the spray on variants as well, now.

 

[koolishman]

Could covid lead to a lifetime of autoimmune disease?

Evidence is growing that in some people covid infections are producing autoantibodies targeting the body’s organs. If true, it could mean years of lingering sickness and misery for many.

When Aaron Ring began testing blood samples collected from covid-19 patients who had come through Yale–New Haven Hospital last March and April, he expected to see a type of immune cell known as an autoantibody in at least some of them. These are antibodies that have gone rogue and started attacking the body’s own tissue; they’re known to show up after some severe infections.

Researchers at New York City’s Rockefeller University had already found that some patients with bad cases of covid had copies of these potentially dangerous immune cells, circulating in the bloodstream. These preexisting autoantibodies, likely created by previous infections, were still lurking around and appeared to be mistakenly attacking other immune cells. It helped explain why some people were getting so sick from covid-19.

Still, what Ring, a shaggy-haired cancer immunologist at Yale University, detected in his blood samples last fall so spooked him that he pulled his nine-month-old daughter out of day care and put his family back on lockdown.

The Rockefeller researchers had identified a single type of antibody primed to attack other immune cells. But Ring, using a novel detection method he had invented, found a vast array of autoantibodies ready to attack scores of other human proteins, including ones found in the body’s vital organs and bloodstream. The levels, variety, and ubiquity of the autoantibodies he found in some patients shocked him; it looked like what doctors might see in people with chronic autoimmune diseases that often lead to a lifetime of pain and damage to organs including the brain.

Why do these new autoantibodies appear? Some enticing clues have emerged. In October, a team of researchers led by Ignacio Sanz, an expert on lupus at Emory University, documented a phenomenon in the immune system of many severe covid patients that is often seen during lupus flare-ups.

It occurs in the specialized immune cells known as B cells, which produce antibodies. In order to quickly scale up production of the B cells needed to combat the covid virus, Sanz explains, the immune systems of some patients seem to take a dangerous shortcut in the biological process that usually determines which antibodies the body generates to fight off a specific infection.

 

[koolishman]

Significant reductions in COVID-19 infections found after single dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

COVID-19 infections fell significantly – by 65% percent - after a first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in this large community surveillance study.

Data from the COVID-19 Infection Survey, a partnership between the University of Oxford, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), is the first to show the impact of vaccination on antibody responses and new infections in a large group of adults from the general population aged 16 years and older.

Two studies, released today as pre-prints, focused on the protection from infection provided by COVID-19 vaccines. Researchers analysed 1,610,562 test results from nose and throat swabs taken from 373,402 study participants between 1 December 2020 and 3 April 2021. 21 days after a single dose of either Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines (with no second dose), the rates of all new COVID-19 infections had dropped by 65%, symptomatic infections by 72% and infections without reported symptoms by 57%.

Reductions in infections and symptomatic infections were even greater after a second dose (70% and 90% respectively), and were similar to effects in those who had previously been infected with COVID-19 naturally. Vaccines were effective against variants compatible with the Kent strain (B.1.1.7). Benefits from vaccines in reducing new infections were similar in older individuals over 75 years and under 75 years, and in those reporting long-term health conditions and not reporting them.

Dr Koen Pouwels, senior researcher in Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Population Health, says, ‘The protection from new infections gained from a single dose supports the decision to extend the time between first and second doses to 12 weeks to maximise initial vaccination coverage and reduce hospitalisations and deaths.

 

[Mister Funsky]

So, yesterday I woke up to a full computer failure...took almost a full day with the help of a computer wizard friend and we were able to get all the hard drives cooperating again. Replaced and updated so many parts it is unclear what caused the problem but once again I am connected (that is good, I guess!?!?). BTW, I've decided to 'break' the computer down into three separate systems again.

Current Covid19 death numbers as of 8:00 am EST are below, primarily from the source in the original post (https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus). If your country of interest is not listed below, simply go to the link above to do a search for relevant information.

Total: 3,088,313
United States: 584,226
Brazil: 383,757
India: 186,928
Russia: 107,501
United Kingdom: 127,345
France: 102,164
Italy: 118,357
Spain: 77,496
Mexico: 214,095
Poland: 64,707
South Africa: 53,995
Indonesia: 44,346
Netherlands: 17,002
Canada: 23,822
Chile: 25,532
Belgium: 23,909
Philippines: 16,529
Japan : 9,764
Bolivia: 12,758
Papua New Guinea: 99

 

[koolishman]

Covid: Scientists find more evidence of human-to-cat transmission

Scottish scientists have identified two cases where humans are thought to have passed Covid-19 to their cats.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow said both cats developed the virus after their owners.

They were of different breeds and lived in separate households. One displayed mild symptoms but the other had to be put down.

Scientists now want to improve understanding of whether pets can play a role in infecting humans.

The cases were found as part of a screening programme of the feline population in the UK.

Researchers believe both pets were infected by their owners, who had Covid-19 symptoms before the cats became unwell.

 

[CraigD]

Covid: Scientists find more evidence of human-to-cat transmission

Scottish scientists have identified two cases where humans are thought to have passed Covid-19 to their cats.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow said both cats developed the virus after their owners.

They were of different breeds and lived in separate households. One displayed mild symptoms but the other had to be put down.

Scientists now want to improve understanding of whether pets can play a role in infecting humans.

The cases were found as part of a screening programme of the feline population in the UK.

Researchers believe both pets were infected by their owners, who had Covid-19 symptoms before the cats became unwell.

I suppose the big worry here is that if cross-species infection occurred the other way - feline to human - we could be looking at all sorts of mutations?

 

[J Sokol]

As bodies pile up, India's leaders face rising public anger over second Covid-19 wave

New Delhi (CNN)Just six weeks ago, India's Health Minister declared that the country was "in the endgame" of the Covid-19 pandemic. On Friday, India reported the world's highest single-day number of new cases since the pandemic began, for the second day in a row.

India's second wave, which began in mid-March, has devastated communities and hospitals across the country. Everything is in short supply -- intensive care unit beds, medicine, oxygen and ventilators. Bodies are piling up in morgues and crematoriums.

India reported 332,730 new cases on Friday, marking the highest daily case count globally. The United States is second, having recorded a high of 300,310 cases on January 2.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/23/india/india-covid-modi-government-intl-hnk/index.html

 

[Sutruk]

In India's Covid crisis, the world's worst, a family's traumatic quest for help

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/...ovid-crisis-family-s-traumatic-quest-n1265031

"Ujwala Dupare gripped her younger brother’s hand as he lay struggling to catch his breath in the back of the car.

"Don't be scared, I’m right here," she recalls telling Praveen Durge, 40, as the family frantically searched for an empty hospital bed in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. "I’m right next to you."

"He began to get scared, and softly told us that he thought he was going to die," Dupare told NBC News in a telephone interview. "I kept reassuring him, holding his hand."
As they approached the last hospital on their list, Durge’s wife, Khushabu, saw that his eyes had closed. She screamed and called his name. "Wake up, please, get up," she cried, according to Dupare.

The married father of one died in the back seat of the car from complications related to Covid-19.
Durge is one of more than 187,000 people, according to official figures, to have died from the virus that is ravaging India.

The country on Friday reported more than 332,000 new infections, a world record for the second straight day that raised the total number of cases past 16 million since the pandemic began.

Durge, a school teacher, first developed a fever and a cough last week.
Suspecting he might have caught Covid-19, he went to a private hospital Saturday, hoping to be admitted and receive treatment. But the hospital had no space or Covid-19 testing kits and sent him home with only medication to soothe his sore throat.

The next day, his health deteriorated rapidly, his sister said. At 2 a.m. Sunday, he woke up unable to breathe properly.
"My husband, his wife, and I immediately put him in the car and we drove from hospital to hospital in search of a vacant hospital bed," she said.

For more than three hours, in the early hours of Sunday, they went to about 12 hospitals across the city of Chandrapur, she said.
"All of them turned us away," Dupare said.

"Not one single doctor even came out to take a look at my brother, even as we begged them to. We were so distressed, we even begged the doctor to let him sleep on the hospital floor. Everyone said no.

For Dupare, however, this is about more than a single family’s tragedy.

"Forty eight people died from Covid-19 at one of the hospitals we visited that night," she said.
"I want people to know what is happening in India. This is real."