Canada to Send Medical Supplies to Coronavirus-Stricken India - Statement

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th May, 2021) Canada will be sending medical supplies to India in the coming days to help the country deal with an overwhelming wave of novel coronavirus case, Global Affairs Canada said on Wednesday.

"Today, Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs... announced that Canada is sending up to 25,000 vials of the antiviral remdesivir (brand name Veklury) and up to 350 ventilators from its National Emergency Strategic Stockpile to help respond to the critical situation across India," Canada's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Canada will also provide 1,450 oxygen concentrators to India - Due to the record increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases, hospitals in the country are experiencing a lack of liquid oxygen - through the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, the statement said.

The aid package will be airlifted to India by the Canadian Armed Forces.

India comes second in terms of the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases following the United States and registers more than 300,000 new ones per day over the past week.

The dire situation in India has spurred an international assistance effort, with countries including Russia and the United States providing support for the response.

Russian provided India with more than 22 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including medicines, lung ventilators and oxygen generation equipment, last week.