'Country which did so much..': UNGA President says it's time for world to support India

President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir on Monday expressed heartfelt solidarity with India saying that the country that went at lengths to provide aid to other countries of the world, ensuring #vaccine4all, was reeling under the deadly pandemic. Voicing concern about India’s battle with the hard-hitting COVID-19 variant surge, Bozkir said, “I’m worried about the COVID-19 situation in India”. Urging other nations to ramp up the medical aid to the southeastern Asian nation that was quick to provide domestically manufactured vaccines to all, Bozkir said: “It’s time for the world to extend aid and support to India.” Further he warned, “No one’s safe until we’re all safe.” The UN diplomat extended well wishes for the people of India standing strong against the hardship as he said, “My thoughts are with India and Indian people.” 

Earlier last month, as India proactively stepped forward to dispatch COVID-19 jabs to the nations that were, at the time, hit with the covid-crisis, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had told a news conference that the UN was “extremely grateful” to India for the generous donation of 200,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses for its peacekeepers. Guterres also hailed India’s contribution in the elimination of the deadly pandemic’s impact on other developing countries by dispatching vaccine shipment under its generous Vaccine-Maitri humanitarian initiative.

India 'first to help' 

India was the first country in the world to extend humanitarian help to war-afflicted countries like Afghanistan as it shipped 5,00,000 vaccine doses to tackle its unseen health crisis. Afghanistan’s health system had critically weakened, according to local press reports. India had dispatched aid of 25,000 doses of Made-in-India COVID-19 vaccines as a gesture of goodwill to the Palestinian population in Gaza and the West bank strip to help the country in its fight against the pandemic. 

[COVID-19 patients at overwhelmed Afghanistan hospital. Credit: Iowy Institute]

WHO chief offers 'deep commitment' to India 

As the variant wave now sweeps across India with a mounting caseload that has challenged the healthcare system, setting a grim milestone of deaths, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday also expressed ‘deep concern’ for India.  At the live-streamed opening remarks, Tedros called the COVID situation in India “complex,” as he said, that it may require a more robust and different response. He further encouraged India to take drastic measures for virus containment and expressed condolences for the fatalities.  “I offer my deep condolences to everyone in India who has lost someone they love,” the WHO chief said. “And I offer my deep commitment that WHO and our partners in the ACT Accelerator stand with the government and people of India and will do everything we can to save as many lives as we can,” he continued. 

[A woman is consoled by a relative at a crematorium during mass cremation of COVID-19 victims, in New Delhi. Image Credit: AP]