SW News: With India recording more than 300,000 COVID cases daily, the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, Cardinal Oswald Gracias has called for a day of prayer and fasting on May 7.

In his letter to the bishops dated April 22, the cardinal noted that the second wave of the pandemic has hit the country like a “tsunami”. “Added to this is the apparent lack of planning, resulting in a shortage of hospital beds, antiviral drugs, oxygen and vaccines. It could get worse before it gets better,” the cardinal stated sharing his concern. He urged everyone to strictly adhere to the covid safety protocols to curb the spread of the virus.

The lack of beds and oxygen has caused a state of panic among those tested positive. It is believed that the actual figures of cases and fatalities are more than the official count.

Experts think that the surge is the result of people letting their guard down and a failure to augment healthcare infrastructure.

New variants of the coronavirus that are more virulent have also added to the accelerated rate of infections. India may hit the peak in mid-May.