The northwestern state of Rajasthan, like several others, has announced a temporary lockdown, while the positivity rate in the western state of Goa has been more than 50%. The country has seen over 26 million cases and 291,331 deaths as of May 21, overtaking Brazil as the country with the world's second highest case numbers, after the United States. Although new infection rates appear to be dropping -- from 2.7 million May 2-8 to 2.06 million two weeks later, the past week has seen a record number of deaths: 29,014. On May 13 alone, 3,874 people lost their lives.
Health services are close to collapse. With no space left in hospitals, patients are being left to die at home, in ambulances and outside clinics. Even those who are given a bed remain in danger, with hospitals running out of oxygen and asking patients' families to bring their own. People are mobilizing on social media to help track hospitals with space to receive patients, clinics where oxygen is available, and places to source antiviral medication Remdesivir for their loved ones.
