US Lawmakers introduce resolution to support India amid the COVID-19 crisis

A group of lawmakers in The United States Of America has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives, urging the Biden administration to continue to ramp up efforts to assist India in its fight against COVID-19.

The resolution would urge the administration to facilitate private, in-kind medical supply donations to India and work to deliver additional and urgently-needed medical supplies, including oxygen generator plants and a cryogenic oxygen tanker and containers. It has been introduced by the two co-chairs of the Congressional India Caucus, Congressman Brad Sherman and Steve Chabot. The resolution also recognizes the efforts of the administration to deliver urgently needed medical supplies and coronavirus vaccine raw materials to India.

The Biden administration had taken swift action to deliver urgently needed supplies to India, including oxygen support, oxygen concentrators, personal protective equipment (PPE), raw materials for the COVID  vaccine, rapid diagnostic tests, and therapeutics, and is a testament to the historic record of United States-India health cooperation dating more than seven decades, the resolution said.

Meanwhile, one of the world's premier biopharmaceutical companies Pfizer on Monday 'committed to support' the country in its fight against COVID-19. The company asserted that it is continuing to engage with the Government of India to advance dialogue and explore opportunities to make the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine available for use. 

COVID In India

On Monday, the Union health ministry placed the total number of COVID-19 cases in India at 2,49,65,463 and the death toll at 2,74,390. The ministry said there are 35,16,997 active cases, while 2,11,74,076 people have so far recovered from the infection. However, 2,11,74,076 patients have recuperated from the disease, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.10 percent, it stated The number of active cases stands at 35,16,997, accounting for 14.09 percent of the total infections. The national recovery rate has improved to 84.81 percent, the data updated at 8 am showed.

India's COVID-19 tally crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20, and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. India's caseload crossed the grim milestone of 2 crores on May 4.

(With PTI Inputs)