India, which had refused foreign aid during Kerala floods in 2018, is now seeking global help to contain the second wave of pandemic, and the world is responding. India badly needs raw materials for vaccines, oxygen, rapid testing kits, medicines, ventilators and PPE kits.
The USA, Europe, the UAE, Germany, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Russia, France, China and Pakistan have offered to help India.
In the next 48 hours, the United States will be delivering raw material for vaccines, oxygen concentrators, ventilators, PPE kits to India. Air India has brought 318 Philips oxygen concentrators to India on its New York-Delhi flight on Monday. Australia will send oxygen, ventilators and personal protective equipment to India as part of an immediate support package.
The UAE is sending a huge shipment of oxygen concentrators and Saudi Arabia large numbers of oxygen generators to India.
US President Joe Biden on Monday took to Twitter to say that his administration is determined for India to tide over the crisis of coronavirus as the country has been witnessing more than 3,00,000 daily cases of infection for the fifth straight day.
“Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need,” Biden posted from the official Twitter handle of the POTUS.
India has urged the US to supply the raw materials for manufacturing the Covishield vaccine. According to government sources, USA will help to treat COVID-19 patients and protect the front-line health workers in India, the US has identified supplies of therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that will immediately be made available for India.
The US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is funding a substantial expansion of manufacturing capability for BioE, the vaccine manufacturer in India, enabling BioE to ramp up to produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022. Additionally, the US is deploying an expert team of public health advisors from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to work in close collaboration with the US Embassy, India’s health ministries, and India’s Epidemic Intelligence Service staff.
A heavy-lift transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force was on Monday sent to Dubai to airlift seven empty cryogenic oxygen containers. Saudi Arabia is shipping 80 metric tons of liquid oxygen as well as tanks and oxygen cylinders. It is working with the Adani Group and the Tata Group.
The first batch of medical supplies from Singapore arrived in India. 500 BiPAPs, 250 oxygen concentrators and other medical supplies were sent partnering with Temasek. “500 BiPAPs, 250 oxygen concentrators & other medical supplies from Singapore landed in Mumbai last night on @airindiain flight!”, tweeted civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri “Temasek is partnering with @airindiain and @AmazonNews_IN to airlift essential medical supplies for hospitals and Covid-19 treatment centres across India to aid local communities in urgent need,” tweeted Temasek.
Germany has provided 23 mobile oxygen generation plants for use in Armed Forces Medical Service hospitals with Covid patients. Each plant has a capacity to produce 40 litres of Oxygen per minute and 2,400 litres an hour.
Russia will provide oxygen concentrators and tanks. Amidst an acute shortage of drugs, Russia has also offered to supply the anti-viral drug Remdesivir.
Around 800 Oxygen Concentrators have been airlifted from Hong Kong to Delhi. 10,000 more will be dispatched in a week. Denmark based shipping firm Maersk, is transporting tanks to India.
Pakistan also has offered ventilators and other medical equipment as a “gesture of solidarity” to India.