‘Stay strong’: Shoaib Malik prays for India amid dangerous second wave of COVID-19

Shoaib Malik has prayed for India and urged the country to “stay strong” as it battles a dangerous second wave of coronavirus.

“Thoughts and prayers with India in these difficult times, may the Almighty help us to tide over the unprecedented tragedies of Covid’s second wave,” tweeted Malik Monday morning .

India’s coronavirus crisis intensifies

Malik made the prayers as India’s coronavirus cases hit a record peak for a fifth day on Monday as countries including Britain, Germany and the United States pledged to send urgent medical aid to help tackle the crisis overwhelming its hospitals.

Infections in the past 24 hours rose to 352,991, with overcrowded hospitals in Delhi and nationwide turning away patients after running out of supplies of medical oxygen and beds.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, saying the storm of infections had shaken the nation.

Hospitals and doctors have put out urgent notices saying they were unable to cope with the rush of patients.

India, with a population of 1.3 billion, has a tally of 17.31 million infections and 195,123 deaths, after 2,812 deaths overnight, health ministry data showed.

Health experts say the death count is probably far higher.