India struggles to cope with demand as coronavirus outbreak spreads

People wait to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Mumbai, India (Rajanish Kakade/AP)

India’s coronavirus cases climbed again, prompting the army to open up its hospitals in a desperate bid to control a massive humanitarian crisis created by an acute shortage of beds, medicines and oxygen.

With 386,452 new cases, India now has reported more than 18.7 million since the pandemic began, second only to the United States.