World pitches in as India fights second wave

The international community has stepped in to send urgently needed medical aid to India, where a deadly second wave of COVID-19 is overwhelming hospitals.

To combat the growing demand for oxygen in the country, India has reached out to various countries to procure containers and oxygen cylinders.

Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, said on Monday at a daily news conference that China has paid close attention to the pandemic situation in India and extended its sincere sympathies about the recent surge. Wang also said China has made clear that it stands ready to help India to combat the new round of the pandemic, and both sides are in communication in this regard.

The European Commission said it planned to send oxygen and medicine. EC President Ursula von der Leyen said the organization was "pooling resources to respond rapidly to India's request for assistance".

Lifesaving medical equipment, including hundreds of ventilators and oxygen concentrators, are being sent from the United Kingdom to India "to support efforts to prevent the tragic loss of life from this terrible virus", British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday.

In addition, Saudi Arabia is shipping 80 metric tons of liquid oxygen to India, according to Indian newspaper The Hindu.

Pakistan－which has tense relations with its neighbor amid territorial disputes－offered medical equipment and supplies, and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted prayers for a "speedy recovery". The country's Edhi foundation has also offered to send 50 ambulances to India.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday told his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in a phone call that "the United States is working around the clock" to deploy resources and supplies. The US has been criticized for imposing a ban on these exports.

On Saturday, the Indian Air Force brought four cryogenic tanks for storage of liquid oxygen from Singapore. The Indian government has also approved plans for more than 500 oxygen generation plants across the country to boost supplies.

In the highest single day spike, India reported on Monday that there had been 352,991 new COVID-19 cases recorded over the previous 24 hours. With a population of 1.3 billion, India has a tally of 17.31 million infections and 195,123 deaths, according to the country's Health Ministry.

Hospitals were running out of oxygen and supplies, and crematoriums were unable to handle all the cases, sparking fears of a major humanitarian disaster.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had referred to the situation as a toofan, or storm, in a radio address on Sunday. He said the second wave has "shaken the country", adding that fighting COVID-19 is the top priority.

Several cities have ordered curfews, while police have been deployed to enforce social distancing and mask wearing.

Barry O'Farrell, Australia's High Commissioner to India, told Sydney-based radio station 2GB that the situation playing out in India represented "our worst fears" from last year's health warnings about the dangers of the coronavirus. He said the second wave was striking like a "tsunami".

Experts said a combination of factors was responsible: India's complacency after the first wave, the mass gatherings of people at political rallies and religious events and the rise of mutant strains.

Modi is facing a growing backlash as the crisis spirals, and his decision to address tens of thousands of people at state election rallies is under fire. He is also facing blame for letting Hindu devotees congregate for the Kumbh Mela festival.

About 8.6 million voters were expected to cast ballots on Monday in the eastern state of West Bengal, in the penultimate part of an eight-phase election that will wrap up this week.

Voting for local elections in other parts of India included the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which has been reporting an average of 30,000 infections a day.

Zhang Wenhong, a Chinese infectious disease specialist, warned of a larger outbreak in the near future in India. He wrote in a blog that it is too late, even if India carries out mass vaccinations immediately.

Zhang said that to get through the crisis, India must take extremely rigid public health measures and require people to comply with them.

Cai Hong contributed to this story.