Many countries around the world are sending oxygen to India. This is because of India's current COVID-19 crisis. India is the world's second most populous country, with over 1.3 billion people. It is currently struggling to cope with its latest surge in the coronavirus pandemic. There are over 300,000 new cases every day - the largest number of daily cases ever experienced by any country. India's health system can no longer cope. There are not enough beds, and hospitals are turning away people with the virus. They have also run out of oxygen. Singapore and the UK have sent much-needed oxygen cylinders to India. India's government has also arranged for Amazon to deliver 100 ventilators.
A Singapore Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Dr Maliki Osman, explained how urgent it was to help India. He said: "We have all witnessed in the past year how this pandemic is a trans-boundary threat. It gives no regard for country, nationality, or race. This is exactly why we must work collectively to support each other." The WHO said the situation in India was "beyond heartbreaking". It said: "The WHO is doing everything we can, providing critical equipment and supplies, including thousands of oxygen concentrators, mobile field hospitals and laboratory supplies." It added: "The growth that we have seen in case numbers is really, truly astonishing."
