Over 40 countries supporting India through supplies against COVID-19: Shringla

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NEW DELHI: Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Secretary of External Affairs, Government of India, on Thursday, April 29 stated that more than 40 countries, including, Bhutan, New Zealand, Australia, US, Bangladesh, have committed to provide India with medical items and pharmaceutical products that the nation urgently needs to battle the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.

In a press briefing, Shringla said that amidst this, India is prioritizing procuring certain ket medical items including liquid oxygen, oxygen generators, oxygen concentrators, oxygen producing equipment, cryogenic tankers, transportation equipment for oxygen, remdesivir, and tocilizumab. He added that the nation is hoping to receive over 500 oxygen generating plants, more than 4,000 oxygen concentrators, over 10,000 oxygen cylinders, 17 oxygen cryogenic tankers in the next few days.

Gilead Sciences has offered 450,00 doses of antivirul drug Remdesivir and Russia and UAE have offered antiviral drug Favipiravir, amounting to 300,000 in total. Shringla informed that India’s normal capacity of manufacturing Remdesivir doses is at 67,000 whereas the current requirement of the drug lies between 200,000-300,000 a day. Therefore, in order to bridge the gap, India is currently in touch with the manufacturers of Remdesivir in Egypt as well.