Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Covid-19 situation in India 'beyond heartbreaking': WHO chief

Covid-19 situation in India 'beyond heartbreaking': WHO chief

The World Health Organization chief voiced alarm on Monday at India's record-breaking wave of Covid-19 cases and deaths, saying the organisation was rushing to help address the crisis.

"The situation in India is beyond heartbreaking," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.


He spoke as India battles a catastrophic coronavirus wave that has overwhelmed hospitals, with crematoriums working at full capacity.

A surge in recent days has seen patients' families taking to social media to beg for oxygen supplies and locations of available hospital beds, and has forced the capital New Delhi to extend a week-long lockdown.

"WHO is doing everything we can, providing critical equipment and supplies," Tedros said.

He said the UN health agency was among other things sending "thousands of oxygen concentrators, prefabricated mobile field hospitals and laboratory supplies".

The WHO also said it had transferred more than 2,600 of its experts from various programmes, including polio and tuberculosis, to work with Indian health authorities to help respond to the pandemic.

The country of 1.3 billion has become the latest hotspot of a pandemic that has killed more than three million people worldwide, even as richer countries take steps towards normality with accelerating vaccination programmes.

The US and Britain rushed ventilators and vaccine materials to help India weather the crisis, while a range of other countries also pledged support.

- Global surge -

Since the virus that causes Covid-19 first surfaced in China in late 2019, the disease has killed more than 3.1 million people out of at least 147 million infected, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

Tedros on Monday lamented that global new case numbers have been rising for the past nine weeks straight.

"To put it in perspective," he said, "there were almost as many cases globally last week as in the first five months of the pandemic."

The United States remains the worst-affected country, with some 572,200 deaths and over 32 million infections, followed by Brazil and Mexico.

But India, in fourth place, has in recent days been driving the global caseload.

The country, which has recorded over 195,000 deaths, registered 2,812 new deaths and 352,991 new infections on Monday alone -- its highest tolls since the start of the pandemic.

"The exponential growth that we've seen in case numbers is really, truly astonishing," Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead on Covid-19, told reporters.

She warned that India was not unique, pointing out that a number of countries had seen "similar trajectories of increases in transmission".

"This can happen in a number of countries ... if we let our guard down," she said.

"We're in a fragile situation."

- Covax hit -

Meanwhile, the Indian crisis has taken a toll on the Covax programme aimed at providing equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines, with a particular focus on 92 poorer nations.

Prior to the surge, India was exporting tens of millions of AstraZeneca shots made domestically by the Serum Institute through Covax, which is co-run by the WHO, the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

But once cases started surging, New Delhi froze exports -- including to Covax -- to prioritise India.

This has left Covax short 90 million doses that had been intended for 60 low-income countries in March and April, the WHO and Gavi said.

"Those have not been made available given the crisis in India. Now they're being used domestically," Gavi chief Seth Berkley told the briefing.

Covax, he said, was "looking at other options" while waiting for the supplies to resume.

Among other things, the Covax partners have appealed to countries that have excess vaccine doses to share them with the programme.

Berkley said that it was "early days" on those discussions, but so far France, New Zealand and Spain had vowed to share some of their doses.

To date, some 40.8 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been distributed to 118 countries and territories through Covax.

More For You

Bryan Johnson

Known for creating the “Don’t Die” project, Johnson has turned his body into a human laboratory

Getty Images

No pizza, no alcohol, no late nights: Bryan Johnson’s strict routine to defy ageing

Bryan Johnson, a 47-year-old tech entrepreneur from California, has become a prominent figure in the global longevity movement, attracting both fascination and criticism for his intense health regime. Known for creating the “Don’t Die” project, Johnson has turned his body into a human laboratory, experimenting with extreme methods to delay ageing and boost long-term health.

From tech success to health obsession

Johnson made headlines in 2013 after selling his company, Braintree, to PayPal for $800 million. Following years of depression and personal upheaval, including leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and divorcing his wife, Johnson redirected his focus to health and longevity.

Keep ReadingShow less
Studio Bakery Matilda Cake Tesco

The Matilda chocolate cake has gained popularity over the years

Metro

Studio Bakery’s Matild Cake now available at Tesco, but £16 price sparks debate

A new chocolate cake inspired by the famous scene in Matilda has launched in Tesco stores across the UK, capturing attention from chocolate fans nationwide. Developed by Studio Bakery, the indulgent cake pays tribute to the iconic moment when Bruce Bogtrotter was forced to eat a large chocolate cake by Miss Trunchbull in Roald Dahl’s beloved story.

24-layer chocolate cake now in Tesco

The Studio Bakery Matilda cake, now available in Tesco branches and online, is described as a rich, decadent dessert featuring 24 layers of chocolate sponge and ganache. The cake is made with an all-butter dark chocolate sponge and is finished with a luscious chocolate ganache, offering a fudgy and gooey texture.

Keep ReadingShow less
mango distribution for the poor

The festival was warmly received by recipients and appreciated by local residents

SGVP

Madhavipriyadas Swami leads mango distribution for the poor and needy

Madhavipriyadas Swami of SGVP Holistic Hospital in Ahmedabad led a mango distribution drive in 2025, providing free mangoes to poor and needy families as part of the SGVP Mango Festival.

The event was held at the SGVP campus and aimed to support underprivileged communities by distributing fresh seasonal fruit during the summer. Thousands of mangoes were handed out to individuals from economically weaker backgrounds.

Keep ReadingShow less
2025’s Strawberry Moon: Rare Low-Height Full Moon Over the UK

The lowest-hanging full moon visible from the UK since 2006

Getty Images

Strawberry Moon 2025: Ancient moonlight, rare low-rise spectacle returns to UK skies

A full Strawberry Moon is set to light up UK skies tonight, and while the name might sound whimsical, it harks back to ancient survival. This year’s version is even more special, astronomers say it will be the lowest-hanging full moon visible from the UK since 2006, thanks to a rare celestial rhythm called a major lunar standstill.

This striking phenomenon won’t return until 2043, giving tonight's event a once-in-a-generation status.

Keep ReadingShow less
Twix TV advert

This included visible skid marks, fast-paced music and an overall emphasis on speed

YouTube/ TWIX

Twix TV advert banned in UK for promoting unsafe driving

A television advert for the chocolate bar Twix has been banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after it was found to promote unsafe driving. The advert, produced by Mars-Wrigley, featured a high-speed car chase involving two identical caramel-coloured cars, which ends in a crash with one vehicle stacked on top of the other, resembling a Twix bar.

Complaints raise driving safety concerns

The ASA received five complaints, with viewers arguing that the advert encouraged dangerous and irresponsible driving. Mars-Wrigley defended the campaign, describing it as having a “cinematic presentation” set in a “fantastical and absurd” world. Clearcast, the body that approves ads for broadcast, supported this view.

Keep ReadingShow less