India’s coronavirus cases were falling. Then variants emerged and a second wave put people as young as 14 in hospital

An elderly man twitches on his bed in a COVID-19 intensive care ward, as critical medical equipment pumps oxygen into his infected lungs.

His eyes are wide open and appear to glance around the room, but he isn’t conscious.

Nurses ensure he’s as comfortable as possible but, despite receiving the best of care at the elite Alexis Multispecialty Hospital in Nagpur, they know he will not survive. The infection has ravaged his frail body.

His sobbing family are ushered…