Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Saturday appealed to the global community to ‘step up’ to help India in its battle against COVID-19 as the nation is facing an acute shortage of medical oxygen amid the lethal second wave of coronavirus.
Calling the humanitarian crisis in India “heartbreaking,” Greta Thunberg in a tweet said, “Heartbreaking to follow the recent developments in India. The global community must step up and immediately offer the assistance needed.”
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The 18-year-old climate activist in her tweet quoted a news report that showed the conditions of COVID patients waiting for beds, medical oxygen, and assistance outside a hospital in Delhi, the national capital.
India for the past 2 days registered over 300,000 COVID-19 cases, which are the biggest single-day record worldwide. On Friday, India recorded 3.46 lakh cases of COVID-19 and 2,624 people died across the nation from the virus.
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The rising cases in India have stretched the health infrastructure in the nation to its limits as several hospitals in the country, especially in Delhi, are reporting a shortage of medical oxygen, sending out SOS calls for the same.
For the last few days, several Delhi hospitals have been sending emergency calls for oxygen supply, saying they have just an hour or two hours worth of gas supply left.
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Visuals and photos of friends and family members of COVID patients struggling to arrange medical aid and rows of burning pyres have been emerging from worst-hit states across India.