UN stands able to step up help to India: UN chief Guterres on ‘horrific’ COVID outbreak

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has stated the world organisation stands able to step up its help to India to fight the “horrific”  COVID-19 wave within the nation that has contaminated greater than 18 million folks and killed over 200,000.
“With the entire @UN family, I stand in solidarity with the people of India as they face a horrific #COVID19 outbreak. The UN stands ready to step up our support,” Guterres tweeted on Thursday.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti replied to Guterres’s tweet saying that India deeply appreciates “your sentiments and solidarity at this juncture. We also appreciate the support @UNinIndia is giving us,” tagging the Twitter deal with of the United Nations in India.
As per knowledge by the World Health Organization, confirmed COVID-19 instances in India stand at over 18.37 million and greater than 204,000 folks have died because of the virus.
Earlier this week, President of the UN General Assembly Volkan Bozkir had tweeted that he’s fearful concerning the COVID-19 state of affairs in India, a rustic which did a lot to make sure #Vaccines4All in susceptible nations. It’s time for the world to increase support & help to India. No one’s protected till we’re all protected.
He had added that his ideas are with the folks of India at the moment.
The United Nations workforce in India is supporting the response of the nation’s authorities to the COVID-19 pandemic by offering crucial provides and UN companies are procuring 1000’s of oxygen concentrators, oxygen producing vegetation and different important tools in addition to serving to arrange cellular hospital items.
Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq had advised reporters on the every day press briefing on Wednesday that the UN workforce in India, led by Resident Coordinator Renata Lok Dessallien, is supporting the authorities’ response to the pandemic by offering tools and provides, together with to native governments.
The WHO and UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) are procuring tools and provides, together with 7,000 oxygen concentrators and 500 nasal units for oxygen provide, in addition to oxygen producing vegetation, COVID-19 testing machines, and private protecting kits.
WHO can be serving to to arrange cellular hospital items and is offering for laboratories.
About 2,600 WHO subject officers have been instantly deployed to help well being authorities to curb the unfold of the pandemic.
In Maharashtra, UNICEF has engaged consultants to work on threat governance. The UN workforce can be persevering with its marketing campaign highlighting the “three Ws: Wear a mask, Wash your Hands, Watch your distance and stay six feet apart.”
“In India’s time of need, the UN is doing everything it can to rapidly provide critical equipment and supplies to central and state governments,” Dessallien has stated.
WHO stated in a press launch that filling crucial gaps in important medical provides and hospital capacities ought to be the highest precedence as India battles surge in COVID-19 instances.
WHO is chartering flights to herald 4,000 oxygen concentrators to assist meet the elevated calls for.
“The current rapid surge of COVID-19 cases has put immense pressure on the health systems, already overburdened since the start of the pandemic. We need to act with speed, expand hospital capacities and equip them with medical supplies, most needed to save lives,” Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh has stated.
A UN News article stated the South-East Asian area has led the world in COVID-19 infections for a 3rd straight week, primarily because of the state of affairs in India, which has recorded 2.17 million new instances, or a 52 per cent improve.
In order to make obtainable further hospital beds and important tools for India, WHO is procuring cellular subject hospitals with a capability of 20-30 beds, which may very well be arrange in probably the most affected areas. The mattress capability at these subject hospitals could be elevated to a most of fifty, if wanted, with out impacting an infection prevention and management protocols, and water and sanitation, the WHO launch had added.

The company can be aiding laboratories to satisfy the massive demand for testing, and over 2,600 WHO technical workers, engaged on varied programmes resembling polio, TB and NTD, have been repurposed to help pandemic response in India.
WHO is procuring laboratory provides, together with 1.2 million reagents, to satisfy the massive demand and wish for testing.