As COVID cases surge in India, what next for the economy?

IMF says the surge represents a ‘worrisome downside risk’ to India’s economy, and it’s the poorest who may be worst hit.

New Delhi, India – A “tsunami”. That is how a doctor at a government-run hospital in the Indian capital, New Delhi, described to Al Jazeera the latest wave of COVID-19 infections. The medic declined to be named for fear of reprisals. India’s tally of new COVID-19 cases hit a new record of more than 270,000 on Monday, pushing its total to more than 15 million, the second-highest globally after the United States. And on Tuesday, it reported 1,761 deaths due to the coronavirus, another record. Hospitals are struggling to cater to patients in need of beds, oxygen and medicines, and social media is flooded with cries of help for those services. The new surge in cases has not prevented political parties from holding mass rallies as several states go to the polls, even as some states, including New Delhi, announced localised lockdowns and curfews.