Episode 29: COVID-19 and the Tragedy in India: The Real Story

To truly understand the gravity of the somber COVID situation in India, Chadi hosts Parameswaran Hari, MD, MRCP, chief of oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, and Nikita Mehra, MD, associate professor of medical oncology, Cancer Institute Adyar (India). Dr. Hari begins by providing a ground-floor perspective of the COVID situation in India from his visit there just a few weeks ago, including how the country fared in 2020 compared to the current day and how hospital systems are managing in different parts of the country. Dr. Mehra then joins the show to share how shocked India has been with the second wave. The trio discuss the “hypotheses” of why COVID never hit India that hard last year, initial stages of vaccine hesitancy among health care workers and trust levels with the central government, and whether or not the situation is dire enough to consider rationing care on a patient-by-patient basis. The conversation wraps up with comments on the US actions to support India during this crisis. Spoiler alert: all three are very critical.