India’s CCP virus surge has, as of Wednesday, claimed over 200,000 lives, a grim milestone in a pandemic-ravaged country whose health system is strained to the breaking point. The health ministry reported a single-day record of 3,293 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing India’s total fatalities to 201,187, as the world’s second-most populous country endures its darkest chapter of the outbreak yet. Indian authorities also reported 362,757 new infections, a new global record. Hospitalizations have also hit record highs, overwhelming health care workers.  Unavailability of beds, shortage of oxygen, and hours of waiting at crematoriums have combined with the staggering death and infection numbers, fueling an atmosphere of fear. “Whole system is messed up at hospitals, there is no oxygen at hospitals and no beds, people are dying in ambulances before reaching hospitals, what else will we feel [if not afraid]?” said Delhi resident Amit Sharma, in an …