The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit India hard. During April-May in 2021 - the daily new cases were four times higher than the previous wave witnessed in September 2020. The peak of the second wave was reached in a much shorter time, and witnessed a sudden and steep rise in daily new cases during a few weeks in the months of April – May 2021, putting extraordinary stress on health systems. Until August, about 32.8 million cases were recorded in the country with 438,560 people losing their lives. A single day peak of new cases was recorded on 7 May 2021 (414,188 cases) with 50% cases from five states in the South and West. The second wave started declining in June as daily new cases came down steadily. However, fears remain of a third wave as around 40,000 new cases are being reported each day. With over 677 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in the country by the end of August, around 12% of the population have been fully vaccinated, and 39% has received at least one dose.

Our latest Situation Report covering the period from January to August 2021 encapsulates our COVID-19 response efforts across our intervention areas and beyond. UNFPA delivered 1,200 oxygen concentrators, 400,000 surgical masks, 60,000 N95 masks and 39,000 coverall PPEs to relevant state authorities in states where we operate. We reached more than 4 million people through social media and digital platforms promoting COVID-19 vaccination and COVID Appropriate Behaviour. Full details on the report.