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India's Covid Catastrophe

Only two months ago India had 鈥渄efeated Covid鈥, it was said. Now thousands are dying every day and the health care system is collapsing. What went wrong?

In February India's governing party, the BJP, congratulated itself and its 鈥渧isionary鈥 leader, the prime minister, Narendra Modi,, for 鈥渄efeating Covid.鈥 Two months on India is in the midst of what one historian has termed 鈥渢he gravest crisis the nation has faced since Partition鈥 in 1947. Hundreds of thousands of new infections are reported every day and thousands of deaths. The peak may come in a few weeks. Meanwhile the country is short of hospital beds, oxygen and even wood for the funeral pyres. So what鈥檚 gone wrong? And what does India鈥檚 plight tell the rest of the world about the trajectory of the pandemic and when it might finally end?

Producers: Tim Mansel, Kirsteen Knight, Paul Moss
Studio Engineer: James Beard
Editor: Jasper Corbett

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30 minutes

Last on

Thu 29 Apr 2021 20:00

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  • Thu 29 Apr 2021 20:00

Podcast