How Deaths Follow Infection Numbers in India's Second Wave

India recorded a new all-time record of daily deaths from COVID-19 for the second day in a row Tuesday, but even in this dismal situation, there might still be hope on the horizon.

Looking at new COVID-19 cases in comparison to new deaths, surges in coronavirus deaths normally lag behind surges in coronavirus cases. This is also the case in India’s second wave, as the chart below shows. New cases already reached their peak on May 6, as represented by 100 index points, and have been falling since. Deaths are expected to follow suit with some delay, as weeks can pass between a COVID-19 infection being detected and the patient becoming critically ill.

India is still struggling to contain a devastating second wave of coronavirus infections which took the country largely by surprise in early 2021. Previously, new infections had been decreasing steadily since the fall, lulling the country into a false sense of security despite warnings by experts that India should stay vigilant in the face of the virus. A new virus mutation, B.1.617, is tied to the new outbreak. Lack of oxygen and hospital beds worsened the crisis on the subcontinent and triggered medical equipment donations from around the world.