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India Faces Spiraling Numbers Of COVID-19 Infections
NEW DELHI, INDIA - APRIL 17: Relatives of a patient who died of the Covid-19 coronavirus infection perform his last rites amid other burning pyres of covid deaths at a crematorium on April 17, 2021 in New Delhi, India. Covid-19 cases are spiralling out of control in India, with over 200,000 new coronavirus cases on recorded on Thursday alone, according to health ministry data, bringing the nationwide tally of infections to 13.9 million. The latest wave has already overwhelmed hospitals.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the situation in India is "beyond heartbreaking," pointing out that many countries are also witnessing high COVID-19 transmission.
India's Devastating COVID-19 Crisis
In the last 24 hours, India has recorded at least 349,691 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest single-day jump since the pandemic started. As India fights the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, global aid in the form of oxygen supplies, ventilators, vaccine raw materials, PPE kits, and oxygen concentrators have begun to flood in.
Officials declared Monday that the US would send doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to India and deploy a strike team and provide other supplies, as President Joe Biden promised to be there for the country in its hour of need. With a million new cases in just three days, India faces a second wave of the deadly virus that has swept the world.
Health centers have been running out of oxygen and ICU beds for the last two weeks, leaving people stranded outside hospitals, as per Daily Mail. According to Biden administration officials, the CDC will urgently deploy a strike team to assist public health experts in India in combating the growing tide of cases.
Besides, the Biden administration will send doses of Remdesivir, which is used to treat coronavirus patients with severe symptoms that are admitted, as well as personal protective equipment and rapid COVID-19 tests. The US has stated its plan to send supplies and AstraZeneca, which is not approved in the country and would certainly not vaccinate Americans because the US has adequate doses of the other alternatives. "We will provide raw materials for AstraZeneca's production," the official said on the call.
No health sector worldwide can handle this influx of sick people, and India's healthcare system has collapsed. Hospitals are running out of beds, oxygen, and supplies, and most sick patients cannot get treatment. According to Forbes, the number of bodies taken to crematoria is too many to handle.
While several nations, including Canada, have halted travel to India, others have pledged assistance and relief to the country in the wake of the disaster. Others vowed to send supplies, including ventilators and oxygen concentrators, including the United Kingdom, the European Union, and even India's long-time geopolitical foe Pakistan.
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How to help India amid devastating COVID-19 surge
Humanitarian organizations provide ways to support India, which is in desperate need of resources, as it deals with an unprecedented increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths. Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere ( CARE), an international humanitarian organization that assists in delivering disaster aid, has collaborated with its India chapter to provide on-the-ground support during the crisis.
CARE India has provided PPE and dry ration support to over 400,000 people in the most marginalized parts of the country since the pandemic started, according to a CARE spokesperson. The CARE India team is currently in Bihar, coordinating with COVID-19 designated hospitals throughout the country to gather data, deliver IT services, and promote health care workers' well-being. There are some options to contribute to the India COVID-19 emergency on the organization's website.
According to a press release issued on Sunday, Sewa International, a nonprofit organization, sent an initial shipment of 400 oxygen concentrators and other emergency medical equipment to India as part of its "Help India Defeat COVID-19" campaign. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin has since worked with the foundation to raise funds in the United States and by offering ways to donate, ABC News reported.
Officials in India reported 349,691 new COVID-19 cases and 2,767 new deaths on Sunday. President Joe Biden spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday and pledged that the US would immediately assist India in dealing with the crisis.
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