COVID-19 spike forces bodies to pile up at a morgue in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: Due to an unexpected rise in COVID-19 cases in Chhattisgarh's Drug district, it has become the state's worst-hit district, and dead bodies continue to pile up at a local morgue, where 38 people have reportedly died in the last seven days.

The district is in the midst of a major crisis as a consequence of an alarming surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks.

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The local mortuary, which is located in a 500-bed government hospital, has only eight freezers but currently has 27 bodies.

The district administration is also apparently searching for alternative places to bury the deceased's bodies.

Furthermore, the district's health service is degrading, as over 6,000 people have been infected with the infection in the last week.

Four to five people are dying in the area due to COVID-19 every day in the, doctors said.

Since the authorities are unable to deal with the outbreak of diseases and fatalities, the state has proclaimed a full and week-long lockdown in the city, which begins on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Dr PR Balkishor, the Chief Medical Superintendent for Durg revealed a shortage of medical staff and said, possibly creating complications for people suffering from other diseases and illnesses, "We are seeking to eliminate non-Covid facilities."

Away from the mortuary, similarly heartbreaking scenes can be seen at a nearby crematorium, where saddened families in PPE suits perform the last rites to their loved ones.

The scenes are a re-enactment of the horrors that surfaced during India's first Covid wave, when scenes like these were recorded throughout the world.

Chhattisgarh's active caseload has increased by 369 percent in the last two weeks, from 6,753 on March 20 to 28,987 on April 2 and things seem to be getting worse.

The increase in cases is not particular to Chhattisgarh only even Maharashtra is the worst-affected state, with tens of thousands of new cases being registered every day .

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