Page 76 - Tata-Trusts-Annual-Report-2021-22

BACKGROUND infrastructure. Meanwhile, an acute shortage of
vaccines stymied the vaccination drive started by the
Initially peaking in September 2020, the onset of the Government of India in January 2021.
second and far more devastating wave of Coronavirus
infections were recorded in the first week of March 2021. The worst phase of the second wave of Coronavirus
As of April 1, 2021, daily new infections climbed to over infections lasted for about three months, subsiding by the
81,000 and the Trusts rose to the challenge as during the end of June 2021, as vaccination drives gathered steam
first wave, through its e orts to enhance medical across the country. India recorded a third surge in cases
infrastructure across the country, more so in areas with during the latter part of December 2021. Although
disadvantaged populations and sub-optimal medical infections were reportedly milder, compared with the first
facilities. E orts to ramp up vaccination drives were two waves, the number of cases rose dramatically from a
strengthened, along with facilitating vaccinations of the low of 5,000 per day in the third week of December to a
Trusts’ employees and their families. high of over 350,000 by the third week of January 2022.
The case count quickly dwindled to less than 4,000 a day
While the first wave of the pandemic by the first week of March, with the prevalent COVID strain
saw the imposition of large- declared to be milder. As a result, most patients were
scale restrictions due to found to be asymptomatic, leading to a faster drop
nationwide lockdowns, in the number of hospitalisations, compared with the
coupled with the earlier waves.
medical fraternity trying
to come to grips with
constantly changing
treatment protocols,
the second wave A COUNTRYWIDE
proved to be deadlier due to the INITIATIVE OF
more virulent strain of COVID-19
driving up infection rates. As the TATA TRUSTS
daily new case count topped
414,000 on May 6, 2021 (the peak of The Tata Trusts’ relief programme ‘One Against Covid’, was
the second wave), India operationalised in April 2020 through a
was left grappling with commitment of `5 billion and continued its
a severe dearth in operations through the 2021 financial year.
medical infrastructure. The year under review saw the completion of
Supplies of medical two discrete projects; the first aimed at
oxygen, necessary as setting up Covid care infrastructure facilities
the first line of in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan,
treatment, were severely Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh; the second to
stretched, with the unavailability of beds at various medical augment capacities at existing hospitals to provide care to
facilities further pressuring an already struggling healthcare an increasing number of patients.

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