COVID-19: Support pours in from US, UK, EU, France & Germany amid India's health crisis

As India battles unprecedented health crisis as  COVID-19 second wave grips country, global support in form of oxygen supplies, ventilators, raw material for vaccines, PPE kits and oxygen concentrators have started pouring in. On Sunday, United States agreed to send essential raw materials to India required for manufacturing anti-Coronavirus vaccines.

United States

US National Security visor Jake Sullivan dialled his India counterpart Ajit Doval and offered to send resources to Serum Institute of India (SII) to scale up production of Covishield vaccine.

United States h earlier turned away from supplying raw material to Pune-based manufacturer as President Joe Biden h been following policy to vaccinate Americans first. After making repeated requests to lift embargo on export of raw materials, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also took up issue during his recent talks with his US counterpart Antony Blinken.

India has been reeling under dely second wave of COVID-19, logging in over 3 lakh cases daily, which is highest in world. country recorded 3,49,691 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, highest single-day spike since onset of pandemic. 2,767 people have died due to disease in last 24 hours.

United Kingdom

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson anunced on Sunday that "vital medical equipment, including hundreds of oxygen concentrators and ventilators, is being supplied to India to support efforts to prevent tragic loss of life from this terrible virus." Shipment is expected to reach India by Tuesday. Johnson recently cancelled his India visit due to a surge in coronavirus infections.

France

France has offered to send a ‘significant’ amount of oxygen respiratory equipment to India in coming days to help country deal with COVID-19 crisis re. assistance will also include ventilators, office of French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday.

Macron also sent a mess of solidarity to India facing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. "France is with you in this struggle, which spares one. We stand rey to provide our support,"  President assured.  

Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also lend her support to India amid health crisis. Merkel said on Sunday that her government was preparing emergency aid for India as country grapples with a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases.

"To people of India, I want to express my sympathy for terrible suffering that COVID-19 has again brought over your communities," Merkel said in a mess shared on Twitter by her spokesman Steffen Seibert.

EU

Besides, European Union (EU) has also agreed to support India. European Commission activated its EU Civil Protection Mechanism and is seeking to supply oxygen and medicine to India after receiving a request from New Delhi.

"Alarmed by epidemiological situation in India. We are rey to support," Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

" EU executive is alrey coordinating with EU countries that are rey to provide urgently needed oxygen and medicine rapidly," European Commission for humanitarian aid Janez Lenarcic wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan h expressed solidarity with India and offered to support country fight crisis.

(With inputs from ncy)