CHENNAI, India—If there’s one thing that’s sure about the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s new waves can always be just around the corner. But even with that knowledge, India’s second wave is unique and challenges established narratives. Just one month ago, the global consensus was India had emerged as an unlikely success story of the pandemic. From a peak of close to 100,000 new lab-confirmed cases each day by the middle of September 2020, its decline had been swift and sharp, even as developed nations were struggling. “India has successfully contained the pandemic,” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said at the end of January. Some were quick to declare that mask compliance was responsible for India’s low numbers. Other health officials said the decline showed that India’s strict lockdown had been effective.
But if it wasn’t evident earlier, it is now abundantly clear to local and national administrations, doctors, and citizens that the second wave is here. India reported more than 100,000 new cases on April 4, a new record for the country, a level not seen in its first wave. This places it at the top of the list of countries worldwide in terms of new cases being reported each day. The western state of Maharashtra alone reported more than 40,000 new cases on March 28, making it one of the worst-hit regions in the world. Moreover, the second wave has gathered momentum much quicker than the first. Although it took 61 days between June and August 2020 to go from almost 8,000 to almost 55,000 daily cases, it took just 41 days to go from 10,000 to 60,000 this time around.
