Medical aid from Travis AFB arrives in India
The aid is intended to help medical professionals in India battle a surge in COVID-19 infections.
A U.S. military convoy delivering medical aid arrived in India this morning as medical professionals in that country continue to battle a surge in coronavirus infections.
The convoy included a military transport aircraft from Travis Air Force Base, which left the military installation near Fairfield for India’s capital New Delhi earlier this week.
The plane from Travis Air Force Base delivered more than 400 oxygen tanks (described by military officials as “oxygen cylinders”) as part of a commitment of medical assistance by the United States to India.
“The United States stands with India as we fight the COVID-19 pandemic together,” an official with the United States embassy in India wrote in a tweet on Thursday.
Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs in India, thanked the United States for its shipment of medical devices and other assistance.
India has experienced a surge in novel coronavirus infections, with more than 350,000 new cases reported every day over the last week alone.
On Friday, government officials there reported over 386,000 new cases in a single day, bringing India’s total infection caseload to nearly 19 million.
The surge in cases has caused a massive shortage of hospital beds and medical equipment in the country of 1.36 billion people.
This week, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state would provide medical assistance of its own to India, including the deployment of more than 400 oxygen tanks, 275 oxygen concentrators and 210 pulse oximeters.
“When communities across the world need help, California steps up,” Newsom said in a statement. “As we surpass 28 million vaccinations and continue to see the lowest positivity rates in the country, we must meet this moment with compassion by aiding those that are the hardest hit by this pandemic.”
The deployment of California’s medical resources was coordinated through the United States Agency for International Development, and it is believed some of the medical devices that were on board the military transport from Travis Air Force Base came from state supplies.
Last weekend, President Joseph Biden said the first wave of medical assistance to India would not be the last and committed additional supplies that will be deployed to the country over the next few weeks.
Those supplies include raw materials to help boost vaccine production and distribution in India along with medical aid to help treat those who become afflicted with the virus.
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