CHINA has deleted a sick social media post which mocked India’s harrowing Covid crisis, reports says.
An account belonging to the Communist Party posted an image of a recent Chinese rocket launch twinned with an Indian crematorium where bodies are being burned.
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The disturbing post was captioned: “China lighting a fire versus India lighting a fire.”
According to Bloomberg, the disgusting image was posted on the official Weibo account of China’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission on Saturday.
It also had a hashtag noting that coronavirus infections in India had surpassed 400,000 in a single day.
This comes as Covid-19 cases in India reached 20 million today after a twelfth straight day of recording more than 300,000 new infections.
China’s foreign ministry told Bloomberg: “We hope everyone gives attention to the Chinese government and mainstream public opinion supporting India’s fight against the epidemic.”
On Friday, China’s President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to PM Narendra Modi as India’s hospitals continued to be overwhelmed by the virus.
Xi said his regime was willing to provide additional assistance to India.
India’s death toll rose by 3,417 today to 218,959, health ministry data shows.
At least 3.4 million people are currently being treated although medical experts say actual numbers could be five to 10 times higher.
Hospitals have filled to capacity, supply of medical oxygen has run short and morgues and crematoriums have been swamped as the country grapples with the surge.
Patients are dying on hospital beds, in ambulances and in carparks outside.
B.H. Narayan Rao, an official in the southern town of Chamarajanagar, said: “Every time we have to struggle to get our quota of our oxygen cylinders.”
He added: “It’s a day-to-day fight.”
In many cases, volunteer groups have come to the rescue.
Outside a temple in New Delhi, a group of Sikh volunteers is providing oxygen to patients lying on benches inside makeshift tents, hooked up to a giant cylinder.
Every 20 minutes or so, a new patient comes in.
Gurpreet Singh Rummy, who runs the service, said: “No one should die because of a lack of oxygen. It’s a small thing otherwise, but nowadays, it is the one thing every one needs,”
He called it an oxygen “langar”, the word used by Sikhs for a communal free kitchen.
Offering a glimmer of hope, the health ministry said positive cases relative to the number of tests fell today for the first time since at least April 15.
