Oxygen supply from 40 countries arrives in India
Countries that have offered assistance include the United States, China, Singapore, the UAE and Bangladesh.
CAPE TOWN, April 30 (ANA) – As India continues to battle its second wave of the coronavirus, which has caused more than 208,330 deaths and 18,762,976 confirmed infections, help has poured in, with oxygen supply arriving from 40 countries.
According to the Straits Times, a Singapore-based publication, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said during a press conference on Thursday that countries including the United States, China, Singapore and the UAE have shown their support.
While some aid was a request made by India, smaller nations such as Bangladesh and Bhutan have offered antiviral medication.
“The situation now, we have never seen before… this is an unprecedented situation we are dealing with,” said Shringla.
“We have prioritised items we need, but many countries have come forward on their own to offer us assistance,” he said.
Shringla added that despite India being one of the world’s largest producers of drugs and supplies, they now face shortages as the local demand has soared. The nation was producing around 60,000 remdesivir doses per day but they cannot cope with the 300,000 to 400,000 daily infections.
On Friday, the Guardian reported that the first batch of US relief supplies had arrived, including more than 400 oxygen cylinders, hospital equipment and close to one million rapid coronavirus tests.
The UAE sent a cargo with 157 ventilators, 480 BiPAP machines and various other medical equipment, while Japan announced they will be dispatching 300 oxygen concentrators and 300 ventilators.
“The United States is delivering supplies worth more than US$100 million in the coming days to provide urgent relief to our partners in India,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price after talks between US President Joe Biden and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher