New Delhi:
India received 1,25,000 vials of antiviral drug Remdesivir, the fourth Covid relief shipment, from the United States on Sunday as New Delhi fights a deadly second wave that has strained its healthcare system.
This is the fourth straight day that India has recorded over 3,000 deaths due to Covid. Hospitals across the country are overburdened and there is dire shortage of key drugs and oxygen supplies.
“The American people stand united with India in the fight against COVID-19! Today, 125,000 vials of the antiviral drug Remdesivir arrived from the U.S. -the 4th relief shipment- and there are more life-saving supplies on the way,” tweeted the US Embassy in India, adding the #USIndiaDosti.
The American people stand united with India in the fight against COVID-19! Today, 125,000 vials of the antiviral drug Remdesivir arrived from the U.S. -the 4th relief shipment- and there are more life-saving supplies on the way. Thanks @USAID and @HHSGov for coord! #USIndiaDostipic.twitter.com/Fz6mxmtY7P
— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) May 2, 2021
Remdesivir is approved in India for restricted emergency use for the treatment of suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalised with severe disease.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Earlier, in an address to the nation last month, had likened the second wave of coronavirus to a storm which has “shaken the country”.
Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden pledged sustained support to India in its fight against Covid. “Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need,” Mr Biden said in a tweet.
The United States is “delivering supplies worth more than $100 million in the coming days to provide urgent relief to our partners in India,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Biden had a telephonic conversation on Monday to discuss the Covid situation in both the nations.
As cases continue to rise, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and several other nations have also resolved to help India.