(VOVWORLD) - The United States will immediately send raw materials for COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and protective gear to help India respond to a massive surge in coronavirus infections, US President Joe Biden said on Sunday.
 Health workers and relatives carry the body of a COVID-19 victim for cremation in Jammu, India, on April 25, 2021. (Photo: Channi Anand / AP) |
National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said U.S. officials were "working around the clock" to deploy available resources and supplies to help India manufacture the Covishield vaccine and tend to the millions of Indians who are sick and dying.
The United States will also send therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits and ventilators.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday that Germany will send oxygen and medical aid to India in the coming days to help it tackle its COVID-19 crisis. Britain and France pledged aid over the weekend.
India is suffering from a spike in coronavirus infections, with the number of cases surging by nearly 350,000 in the past 24 hours, the fourth straight day of record peaks. Hospitals are turning away patients after running out of medical oxygen.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution.