Relentless new wave sends India Covid death toll past 200,000

Some Dutch feted the end of curfew and the opening of cafe terraces

India is reeling after recording 360,000 new infections -- a global record -- and over 3,000 deaths in a single day

India's coronavirus death toll shot past 200,000 Wednesday as a relentless wave of new cases swamped hospitals and sent desperate families out into the streets of the capital in search of oxygen supplies and medicine.

Infection and death rates are soaring in the vast country of 1.3 billion people, in contrast with the United States and some European nations which are taking tentative steps back towards normal life.

Offering a glimmer hope, the co-founder of BioNTech -- which developed a Covid-19 vaccine with Pfizer -- said he is confident the shot works against the variant that is plaguing India.

Desperate relatives of the sick are crowding outside hospitals and pharmacies in search of treatment and medicines, often in vain.

Priyanka Mandal, 30, had been searching for oxygen for her mother since she became sick a week ago.

"No matter how much time it takes, I have to wait here... I only have my mum."

Despite the rising cases, on Tuesday around 25,000 people took part in the final bathing day at the Kumbh Mela religious gathering in the northern town of Haridwar, drawn to the banks of the Ganges by an "auspicious" full moon, festival official Harbeer Singh told AFP. 

A variant of the virus feared to be contributing to the catastrophic wave in India has now been found in more than a dozen countries, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

Many nations have rushed to help, sending desperately needed oxygen and aid.

Russia said it was sending emergency help to the country -- including oxygen support, ventilators and medicine -- while Switzerland was sending $1 million (827,000 euros) in aid for hospitals.  

And Ugur Sahin, the co-founder of BioNTech, said the vaccine his company jointly developed with Pfizer appears to protect against the Indian variant. 

- 'Great to be here' -

"It's great to be here with my girlfriend and my friends. I think it feels great after six months being inside," Marvin Erhart told AFP from a cafe in the Hague. 

The European Union is eager to speed up its sluggish immunisation drive after it sued the British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca for allegedly breaking their purchase agreement.

In Japan, organisers of the Summer Olympics said athletes and their close contacts will have daily coronavirus tests -- an increase from a previous plan that called for tests every four days. 

The Olympic organisers also said they won't decide until June how many spectators -- if any -- can attend the Games, with chief Seiko Hashimoto warning that "as of now, having full venues is very difficult". 

Not all sectors were hard hit by global shutdowns, however. 

The Tokyo-based entertainment and consumer electronics giant said annual net profit jumped to 1.17 trillion yen ($10.7 billion) -- more than doubling from the previous year on sales of 8.99 trillion yen, also a record high.

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