If the current coronavirus trajectory sustains, India’s worst-affected states would face massive shortages in isolation beds, ICU beds, and ventilators in the second half of May As India enters the final phase of lockdown 2.0, the preparedness of its healthcare infrastructure to combat covid-19 will come into increasing focus.
Five weeks of lockdown have managed to slow the rate of growth of infection, with cases doubling in roughly 10 days. But the battle against the virus is far from over.
As the lockdown is relaxed in a phased manner, and with expatriate Indians set to return, there could be a surge in cases. What is the readiness of healthcare infrastructure of individual states?