India hitting period of exponential growth in Covid-19 cases, can see 30,000 deaths by May

A selection of the best news reports, analysis and opinions published by ThePrint this week.

People wear protective face masks in wake of novel coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic (Representative image) | PTI

At current rate, India can see 30,000 COVID-19 deaths by May, no hospital bed by June: Data

Assuming the WHO figure of 3.4 per cent fatality rate relative to confirmed cases, India is headed for nearly a million confirmed cases by the end of May, and could run out of hospital beds by June, writes Rukmini S.

Man dies of hantavirus in China — what is this virus and how it spreads

As the world comes to grips with the novel coronavirus, a man in China has died of another virus that originated in rodents in Korea. ThePrint Team explains what the hantavirus is, and the dangers it poses for humans.

Modi’s Covid-19 lockdown speech shows he doesn’t learn from past mistakes, or doesn’t care to

Abhijit Iyer-Mitra says PM Narendra Modi’s speech announcing the 21-day nationwide lockdown “failed monumentally”. He writes that when added to how he handled the Delhi riots, the speech reveals a consistent pattern that can mean one of three things: Mismanagement, laziness or hubris.

‘Experimental’ drug that failed to cure ebola is now world’s best shot against Covid-19

Remdesivir, a drug manufactured by Gilead Sciences, is undergoing four trials on Covid-19 patients, and WHO’s assistant director-general Bruce Aylward has called it the “only” drug that may have “real efficacy” against the novel coronavirus. Himani Chandnaexplains how and why the dormant drug has found new life.

Back from Singapore, Kerala IAS officer & wife jump home quarantine

IAS officer Anupam Mishra returned from his honeymoon in Singapore, and left for Bengaluru when he was asked to home quarantine at his official residence in Kollam. He has been suspended by the Kerala government and booked by the police. Sanya Dhingra reports.

Desi sex and porn for women — how Indians stuck at home are indulging their secret desires

According to data collected by adult entertainment site xHamster, Indians have started watching nearly 20 per cent more porn during the Covid-19 lockdown, despite a government-mandated ban on 857 porn sites. Regina Mihindukulasuriya reports.

Why 1.36 billion Indians won’t simply wait to be infected or killed by coronavirus

There are many scary scenarios about how badly we Indians may be affected or how many of us will be killed by Covid-19. But they presume we will do nothing to influence our fates, writes Shekhar Gupta in this week’s National Interest.