India has seen a huge surge in the number of COVID positive cases in the past few weeks. On April 20, the country reported close to 3 lakh new cases. The second wave has overwhelmed citizens, with many among those severely affected unable to get ICU beds or oxygen cylinders.

The official handle of the Tipu Sultan Party shared an image where an elderly lady is seen sitting on the road with an oxygen cylinder. “India suffers in coronavirus pandemic,” reads its caption.

Prithvi Reddy of the Aam Aadmi Party also shared this picture.

Several other Twitter users including @vijaypks51, @Sachin88617922 and @biharnumber1 have shared the image, claiming it was taken during the pandemic.

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A reverse image search of the viral image on Yandex led us to a report by India Times published on April 7, 2018. The report is credited to ANI. According to the report, the woman was waiting for an ambulance within the premises of Agra Medical College. An oxygen mask was put on her while her son carried the oxygen cylinder on his shoulder.

ANI had also covered the incident on a video report.

This incident was reported by NDTV, The Times of India and News18.

While the image is not recent, there are several visuals of patients waiting to get admitted to a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alt News had earlier debunked an image of a man carrying an oxygen cylinder and his COVID positive mother on a motorcycle. The image is from Bangladesh. Another image of mass cremation from 2012 was shared as recent.

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About the Author

A journalist and a dilettante person who always strives to learn new skills and meeting new people. Either sketching or working.