By Syndicated Content
May 5, 2021 4:00 AM
GENEVA (Reuters) â Nepal is being overwhelmed by a COVID-19 surge as Indiaâs outbreak spreads across South Asia, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Wednesday.
âWe need to act now and we need to act fast to have any hope of containing this human catastrophe. This virus has no respect for borders and these variants are running rampant across Asia,â said Alexander Matheou, Asia Pacific director for the Geneva-based agency representing the global humanitarian network.
Nepal is now recording 57 times as many cases as a month ago, with 44% of tests now coming back positive, the statement said. Nepalese towns near the Indian border could not cope with the growing number of people needing treatment, while only 1% of the countryâs population was fully vaccinated.
Oxygen Concentrators - The UPS Foundation
Lives are on the line, The UPS Foundation pledges USD 1 million in aid to India ANI | Updated: May 05, 2021 18:06 IST
New Delhi [India], May 5 (ANI/NewsVoir): The UPS Foundation announced a USD 1 million commitment to fight the COVID-19 surge in India. The pledge is a combination of emergency funding, in-kind transportation movements and technical expertise to provide urgent relief, as well as strategic support. The UPS Foundation is committed to improving the well-being of communities impacted by COVID-19 and we want to help alleviate the suffering in India by leveraging our partnerships, our resources and our logistics expertise, said Nikki Clifton, President of social impact and The UPS Foundation.
India accounted for 46% of global COVID-19 cases last week, WHO says
India accounted for nearly half the coronavirus cases reported worldwide last week, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, as the country s deaths rose by a new high of 3,780 during the last 24 hours.
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Posted: May 05, 2021 8:45 AM ET | Last Updated: May 5
A man carries an oxygen cylinder as he arrives to refill it for a COVID-19 patient at a refilling centre in New Delhi. India is dealing with a major uptick in cases that is overwhelming health systems.(Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images)
India accounted for nearly half the coronavirus cases reported worldwide last week, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, as the country s deaths rose by a new high of 3,780 during the last 24 hours.
South Asia: Urgent action needed to prevent further human catastrophe
Photo: Nepal Red Cross Society
Kuala Lumpur/Kathmandu/Delhi/Geneva, 5 May 2021 – Urgent international support is needed to prevent a worsening human catastrophe in countries across South Asia as India’s total COVID-19 infections soar past 20 million.
In Nepal, many hospitals are full and overflowing with COVID-19 patients. Southern towns near the Indian border are unable to cope with the growing number of people needing medical treatment. Nepal is recording 57 times more cases than this time last month.
South Asian countries, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan have all experienced recent record death rates due to COVID-19. Hospitals and intensive care departments remain full or close to capacity in many areas across Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Estonia will give â¬75,000 to India to help the country contain the new coronavirus wave via the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The situation is concerning because the rapid increase of infections has put the healthcare system of the country under enormous pressure. Hospitals are lacking staff, beds, medicines and oxygen. The European Union has activated its Civil Protection Mechanism and is responding to India s request for assistance with member states. The joint support from member states includes PPE, components for medicines and financial aid, Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said.
Estonia is providing financial support for India via the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). IFRC in cooperation with the Indian Red Cross Society is ensuring timely assistance that meets the needs on the ground.