20,000 courses of remdesivir (125,000 vials) to help treat critically ill patients, almost 1,500 oxygen cylinders that can be refilled several times at local supply centres, and one million rapid diagnostic tests to rapidly detect Covid-19 cases are among the emergency supplies.
Six planes carrying medical supplies have been sent by the United States to India, which is experiencing one of the worst public health crises.
20,000 courses of remdesivir (125,000 vials) to help treat critically ill patients, almost 1,500 oxygen cylinders that can be refilled several times at local supply centres, and one million rapid diagnostic tests to rapidly detect Covid-19 cases are among the emergency supplies.
The six aircraft, which landed in just six days, also held nearly 550 mobile oxygen concentrators, which get oxygen from the air around them. These units have a five-year lifetime and can accommodate several patients at the same time, depending on their oxygen requirements.
A large-scale deployable Oxygen Concentration System that can provide oxygen to 20 or more patients at a time, as well as 210 pulse oximeters to measure oxygen levels in a patient’s blood to assess if a higher level of treatment is needed, were also sent to India, according to USAID.
The US government’s contribution to combating the current crisis is estimated to be about $100 million. According to USAID, the US is continuing to collaborate closely with Indian officials and health experts to identify and respond to emerging trends in this ongoing crisis.
“The official US response over the last few days to India’s horrific Covid crisis underscores the depth and breadth of Washington’s unwavering commitment to India. Both the Biden administration and the US Congress have spared no effort toward this end in a testament to the strength and character of the bilateral relationship,” Ronak D. Desai, an expert on US-India relations at Harvard University and an international investigations attorney at Paul Hastings LLP, told PTI.
