NEW DELHI: The United States of America will be sending supplies worth more than $100 million to India to help it fight the second, and more devastating wave of COVID-19. The supplies, including 1,000 oxygen cylinders, 15 million N95 masks, and 1 million rapid diagnostic tests, will be arriving in India from April 29.
According to a statement from the White House, the USA also redirected its own order of AstraZeneca vaccine supplies to India, which they said will help India make over 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
Total death toll due to the SARS-CoV-2 infection in India surpassed 200,000 on April 28, after the country has been witnessing acute shortages of hospital beds and medical oxygen for the past 15 days or more. Mentioning how the condition in India has worsened in the past week, an official statement from the White House said that just like India had sent assistance to the USA last year when their hospitals were strained and crumbling, the USA is similarly determined to help India in its time of need.