Over 40 countries have pledged their support to India in dealing with the surge in coronavirus cases in the country, foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said today, even as the country added 3,79,257 new infections over the previous 24 hours and active cases crossed the 30- lakh mark.
India was primarily looking at this stage at receiving about 550 oxygen generating plants, 4,000 oxygen concentrators and 10,000 oxygen cylinders from different countries to tackle the current situation, Mr Shringla told a special media briefing.
He said India also hoped to procure 400,000 units of Remdesivir from Egypt apart from exploring the possibility of getting the anti-viral drug from the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. The government, he said, has been focusing primarily on procuring oxygen generators, concentrators, oxygen cylinders, cryogenic tankers as well as liquid oxygen. The supplies were being sourced through direct procurement and other modes.
Mr Shringla said two special aircraft carrying large quantities of medical supplies from the US were expected to reach India by tomorrow and another plane was likely to arrive by 3 May.
“As of now, we have over three million active cases. This has obviously put considerable pressure on our healthcare system, on the capacities and resources that we have. The government has been in many senses very quick to try and make an assessment of where we have capacity shortfalls, where we have a requirement to meet on an urgent basis,” he added.
India on Thursday reported 3,79,257 new coronavirus infections, the highest so far, during the previous 24 hours, pushing its total tally of Covid19 cases to 1,83,76,524, while active cases crossed the 30- lakh mark. There were also 3,645 fatalities taking the death toll to 2,04,832, according to Health Ministry data.