Inside a New Delhi hospital treating COVID-19 patients

Medical workers take care of a patient suffering from the coronavirus at the ICU of the Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital in New Delhi. The pandemic has killed over 4,500 people and infected more than 150,000 across India. While infection rates from the virus have begun to fall in many countries, in India they are still rising sharply, and epidemiologists warn peak is yet to come.

A COVID-19 patient prays at the emergency ward. Concerns are rising about how the country of 1.3 billion, with one of the world's most overburdened healthcare systems, will handle the surge with roughly 6,000 new infections being detected daily this week.

Medical workers take care of a patient suffering from the COVID-19 at the ICU. The Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital is currently the largest such private COVID-19 treatment site in New Delhi, where some 200 patients are being treated for the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

A medical worker sits on an area that was designated for mothers and child care but has now been changed to command centre for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Until a few months ago the cries of babies would often fill this section of the hospital, which was meant for neonatal care. But with the number of cases surging, Max designated the entire building for COVID-19 patients.

A medical worker takes care of a patient in the Intensive Care Unit. "We are getting more and more people daily both in numbers and in the severity of disease," said Arun Dewan, the director of the hospital's critical care section. "We're not seeing any end."

Mortuary workers prepare to transport the body of a person who died from the COVID-19. While India is easing a more than two-month long nationwide lockdown that was aimed at reining in the spread of the disease, the battle against the virus rages within its strained hospital system.

A medical worker helps a patient to blow a spirometer for increase lung capacity, at the Intensive Care Unit.

A medical worker looks at the reports of a patient suffering from COVID-19.

A medical worker helps a patient suffering from the COVID-19.

Mortuary workers load the body of a person, who died from the COVID-19, in an ambulance for cremation.

A patient suffering from the coronavirus is seen inside the ICU.

Medical workers gesture as they arrive for their shift to work at the ICU treating patients suffering from the COVID-19.

A medical worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) takes care of a patient.

A medical worker stands outside the emergency ward for patients suffering from the COVID-19.

Medical workers take care of a patient at the Intensive Care Unit.

A medical worker sits in an area that was designated for mothers and child care but has now been changed to command centre for treatment of patients suffering from the COVID-19.