The Biden administration has pledged to send vital resources and supplies to India, as the country set a new global daily COVID-19 cases record for a fifth straight day Monday.
The big picture: As hospitals continued to be overwhelmed with coronavirus patients amid a widespread oxygen shortage, India’s health ministry reported 352,991 more infections, taking the total past 17 million. A record 2,812 deaths were confirmed Monday, taking the total to 195,123 since the pandemic began.
What they’re saying: Secretary of State Tony Blinken tweeted late Saturday the U.S. was “working closely” with India’s government. “We will rapidly deploy additional support to the people of India and India’s health care heroes,” he added.
Zoom in: National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne confirmed in a statement Sunday that PPE equipment, rapid diagnostic test kits, therapeutics, and ventilators would be among the supplies made available to India.
- The U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) will fund the manufacturing capability expansion of India’s vaccine manufacturer, so that more vaccine doses can be produced.
- The U.S. will be deploying a team of public health advisors from the CDC and USAID to “work in close collaboration with the U.S. Embassy, India’s health ministries, and India’s Epidemic Intelligence Service staff.”
Of note: The EU and U.K. have also announced plans to send aid to India.
In photos: India’s COVID crisis
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
No comments:
Post a Comment