Covid-19: the first international aid arrives in India

Second most affected country by the pandemic after the United States, India reported, as of 7 May 2021, 234 071 deaths for more than 21 million infections due to Covid-19.

The local variant is wreaking havoc among the population and health facilities are largely overwhelmed. In this country of 1.366 billion people, oxygen has become a rare commodity. The daily demand for oxygen has reached 8 000 tons, while the average production capacity is 7 200 tons.

To help the government and the local population, 40 countries have promised to send medical equipment and oxygen generators. On Friday 30 April, an American military plane carrying medical supplies landed in New Delhi. A day later, a plane from Germany unloaded its cargo of equipment on the Indian soil.

On Sunday, 2 May, France sent 28 tons of medical equipment. The United Kingdom also participated in this mutual aid effort by supplying medical equipment and hundreds of oxygen concentrators.