NEW DELHI – The United States yesterday led international pledges of support for India as the country grapples with worsening Covid-19 crisis with record daily death rates and severe medical shortages.
The Indian healthcare system has struggled to cope with a huge surge in cases, leaving patients’ families begging for help on social media and the capital forced to extend its strict lockdown.
Covid-19 has now killed more than three million people worldwide since emerging in China in December 2019.
India, which has a population of 1.3 billion, has driven increases in global Covid-19 case numbers in recent days, recording 349,691 fresh infections and 2,767 deaths yesterday – the highest since the start of the pandemic.
New Delhi yesterday reported more than one-quarter of those tested were positive.
President Joe Biden said the US is “determined to help India in its time of need”, immediately making available supplies of vaccine-production material, therapeutics, tests, ventilators and protective equipment.
Other Western nations, including Britain, France and Germany, have also pledged help.
“I could do nothing”
“The US has identified sources of specific raw material urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine”, said a White House statement, referring to the India-produced version of the AstraZeneca shot.
But it did not mention whether Washington will send millions of surplus AstraZeneca doses to Delhi, after top US pandemic adviser Anthony Fauci yesterday said that will be considered.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country has been shaken by a “storm” as he called on people to get vaccinated and not “get swayed by any rumour about the vaccine”.
The country has administered almost 141 million vaccine shots so far, but experts said the mass inoculation programme needs to be significantly stepped up.
Arch-foe Pakistan offered assistance and support as Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted prayers for a “speedy recovery”.
Other countries imposed travel restrictions. Thailand yesterday became the latest country to bar foreigners departing from India.
Neighbouring Bangladesh, which shares a 4,000km border with India, will halt land crossings for two weeks, said Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen.
Experts have long warned that it is in the global interest for wealthier countries to help large, lower-income nations like India to vaccinate their populations to hasten the end of the pandemic.
“He was gasping for air, we removed his face mask and he was crying and saying ‘save me, please save me’,” Mohan Sharma, 17, said of his father, who died outside a hospital here.
“But I could do nothing. I just watched him die.”
A week-long lockdown in the megacity of 20 million, set to last until today, was extended by one week.
Yesterday, Twitter confirmed it has withheld dozens of tweets critical of the unfolding crisis at the request of the Indian government.
The European Union is pooling resources to ensure a rapid response.
“Alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India. We are ready to support,” said European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. – AFP, April 26, 2021
