India Received 13,496 Oxygen Cylinders, 5.3 Lakh Remdesivir Vials As Foreign Aid: Govt

Heartbreaking visuals of patients queuing outside hospitals amid a shortage of beds, reports of patients dying due to oxygen scarcity, and pictures of overwhelmed crematoriums started making headlines, globally, as soon as the second wave of the coronavirus hit India.

But there was some hope as a number of countries responded to the grim situation arising in one of the largest democracies by expressing solidarity and sending crucial medical supplies required to handle the situation in India.

At least 11,058 oxygen concentrators,13,496 oxygen cylinders, 19 oxygen generation plants and about 5.3 lakh Remdesivir vials were received as global aid from April 27 to May 15, according to data furnished by the Union Health Ministry on Sunday, May 16.

The central government reportedly has expedited the process to deliver the received aid to the states and Union Territories to strengthen their fight against the outbreak.

"Major consignments received on 14th-15th May 2021 from Kazakhstan, Japan, Switzerland, Ontario (Canada), USA, Egypt and British Oxygen Co (UK) include oxygen concentrators (100), ventilators/BiPAP/CPAP (500), oxygen cylinder (300), Remdesivir (40,000) besides masks and protective suits," the ministry said, reported The Times of India. Concerns had been raised about delays in supplying the aid to those most in need of it. In fact, journalist Rana Ayyub had even tweeted about it.

Meanwhile, for the first time in 25 days, the number of fresh infections have fallen below the three-lakh mark. The country recorded 2,81,386 new coronavirus cases and 4,106 fatalities in the last 24 hours. As many as 15,73,515 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Sunday, May 16, which took the total tests to 31,64,23,658.

In recent developments, virologist Shahid Jameel resigned as the head of the Indian SARS-COV-2 Genomics Consortia (INSACOG), tasked to carry out genetic sequences of different variants of the virus circulating in India.

The resignation came days after the publication of an article by Jameel in The New York Times. The virologist had written that his fellow scientists "are facing stubborn resistance to evidence-based policymaking" in the country, reported Deccan Herald.

Also Read: Covishield, Covaxin Vaccines Less Effective Against B.1.617 Coronavirus Strain: Indian Council of Medical Research