(MENAFN- Daily Outlook Afghanistan) The European Union, UK and the United States have pledged to help India as the country battles a devastating surge of COVID-19 infections
For the fourth straight day, India on Sunday set a global daily record of new cases, spurred by an insidious new variant that emerged here. The surge has undermined the government's premature claims of victory over the pandemic.
The 349,691 new infections brought India's total to more than 16.9 million, behind only the United States. The Health Ministry reported another 2,767 deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing India's fatalities to 192,311.
The death toll could be a huge undercount, as suspected cases are not included, and many COVID-19 deaths are being attributed to underlying conditions.
The crisis is compounded by short supplies of oxygen with families left on their own to ferry people sick with COVID-19 from hospital to hospital in search of treatment.
On social media and in television footage, desperate relatives plead for oxygen outside hospitals or weep in the street for loved ones who died waiting for treatment.
'We are ready to support'
In response to the spiralling situation in the southeast Asian country, the European Union has activated its Civil Protection Mechanism, which is coordinating with member states to ship oxygen and medicine rapidly.
Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said she was "alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India. We are ready to support."
"The EU is pooling resources to respond rapidly to India's request for assistance," she added.
Chancellor Angela Merkel also said that Germany "stands in solidarity with India and is urgently preparing a mission of support."
"To the people of India I want to express my sympathy on the terrible suffering that COVID-19 has again brought to your communities. The fight against the pandemic is our common fight," she emphasised in a statement.
The UK on Sunday sent a first shipment of about 600 pieces of medical equipment, including ventilators and oxygen concentrators, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told ITV. (Euro news)
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