Ashish Poddar kept an ice pack on hand as he waited outside a New Delhi hospital for a black market dealer to deliver two drugs for his father, who was gasping for breath inside with COVID-19.
India set another global record in new virus cases Thursday with more than 379,000 new infections, putting even more pressure on the country's overwhelmed hospitals. The country of nearly 1.4 billion people has now recorded over 18 million cases, behind only the US, and over 200,000 deaths — though the true number is believed to be higher.
India's latest treatment guidelines mirror those of the World Health Organisation and the United States with a key exception: India allows mildly ill patients to be givenA health worker takes a nasal swab sample to test for COVID-19 in Hyderabad, India. Dr Amar Jesani, a medical ethics expert, said many prescription drugs can be bought over the counter, including emergency drugs greenlit by Indian authorities for COVID-19.
Dr Anant Bhan, who researches public health and ethics in the city of Bhopal, warns there are risks in the do-it-yourself approach. Bhan said antivirals and steroids should be taken in a hospital setting due to the risk of side effects. And drugs that are life-saving at one point could be harmful at another, depending on timing and how severe the symptoms are.
No social distancing and following any rules and measures.