Amidst deepest drama, the first shipment of medical aid from the United States arrives in India

The first shipment of medical aid from the United States arrived in Friday at India, which faces an exponential increase in COVID-19 cases as more supplies are expected from many countries in the coming days. A military transport plane Super galaxy more … than 400 oxygen cylinders, other medical equipment and nearly a million rapid coronavirus tests landed at the international airport of New Delhi, the Indian capital, grappling with an unprecedented health crisis.

Friday India brought in a new world record of 385,000 new infections in the last 24 hours and nearly 3,500 deaths.

Several countries have launched a major international aid operation and have pledged aid. Delivery of United States -which came from Travis military base in California– This comes after the talks that were held this week between the American president Joe biden and the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

“The United States is delivering more than $ 100 million worth of cargo to provide urgent aid in the coming days to our partners in India.“Said the spokesperson for the state department, Ned Prize.

U.S. officials have said the special flights, which will also carry equipment donated by businesses and individuals, will continue next week.

More than 40 countries involved

Japan announced on Friday that he would also contribute to the international effort to help India and plan send 300 oxygen concentrators and 300 respirators.

“Japan stands with India, our friend and partner, in its efforts to tackle the covid-19 pandemic with this additional emergency aid.”Said the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Japan it is a statement.

More than 40 countries have pledged to send medical aid, including oxygen, the Minister of Foreign Relations indio, Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

In total, aid pledges include nearly 550 oxygen production sites, more than 4000 oxygen concentrators, 10,000 oxygen cylinders Yes 17 cryogenic tankers.

Hundreds of thousands of doses of vaccines have also been shipped, along with essential components for the production of vaccines and drugs, the minister added. “It’s an unprecedented situation“, He said Shringla.

India recorded about 18.5 million cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, including more than six million in April alone.

More than 200,000 people diedBut many experts believe that the real number is much higher.

In many areas outside New Delhi Yes Maharashtra, severely affected by the epidemic, hospitals are short of beds, oxygen and medicines, forcing the families of the sick to try to catch them by all means to save their loved ones.

Many crematoria are facing a shortage of wood due to the extraordinary death toll, as each pyre requires between 300 and 400 kilograms of wood.

Vaccinations suspended

Indian government opens vaccination campaign to all adults over 18 on Saturdaynails 600 million people, even if he could bring it forward a few hours this Friday before the desperate state of the pandemic in the country.

But several states have warned they don’t have enough stocks and the rollout is threatened by administrative disputes, pricing confusion and technical issues on the government’s digital immunization platform.

The financial center of Bombay, In the state of Maharashtra, one of the cities most affected by the new wave of the epidemic, announced that it had been forced to suspend the vaccination campaign from Friday to Sunday “due to unavailability of vaccine stocks“.

So far, health workers and “First line», Adults over 45 and people suffering from comorbidities were able to benefit from one of the two vaccines of the campaign, the Covishield of AstraZeneca where the Covaxin of Bharat Biotech.

In total, some 150 million vaccines – that is, only 11.5% of the 1300 million inhabitants of India– Yes 25 million of them received two injections.

(With information from AFP, Reuters and the media) .-

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