According to the most recent government data, India has received over 33 million items as Covid-19 aid from all over the world.
Apart from bulk Covid-19 drugs, the largest consignments were oxygen cylinders, followed by oxygen concentrators, which helped India meet the surging demand for the life-saving gas during the pandemic’s second wave.
According to data, private donations — aid from organisations or individuals — accounted for nearly a third of the total aid received by India since April 27. 21.4 million items were sent from government to government out of a total of 33.1 million. Over 11.7 million items were donated by individuals.
From April 27, India began receiving foreign aid, which was distributed based on optimal use, primarily to states with high caseloads and regional medical hubs. Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog, leads a group of secretaries charged with coordinating pandemic response with the private sector, NGOs, and international organisations. said: “99.6% of these items are delivered. Rest have been dispatched and in transit.”
During the second wave, New Delhi received 27,000 oxygen cylinders and nearly 23,000 oxygen concentrators, two critical items in high demand. There are also over 16,000 ventilators and 53 oxygen plants on the premises. According to official data, four oxygen tankers were also brought in.
Over 1 million rapid antigen test kits, 9.5 million Favipiravir, and 2.2 million Medirol were included in the overseas aid. Over 8 million Remdesivir doses were also sent to India. Oxygen-generating plants from Canada, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, as well as oxygen cylinders from Indonesia, were among the most recent arrivals.
The vast majority of these items were given to government hospitals and states. However, with Covid-19 cases declining in the second wave, the need for assistance is now minimal. On the condition of anonymity, a senior official said, “With the situation improving, we are going slow now.”
Over 43 countries have pledged to assist India, and nearly 100 consignments have arrived from abroad.
