India faces storm of ‘infections’, international support pours rife

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Puran Gurung/ Thimphu
 
Reigned by the raging pandemic, lives are lost, and normalcy distant, the fury of COVID-19 has brutally struck India, international support pours rife- ‘Stay Strong India’. 
 
India is facing a ‘storm’ of infections, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  
To stand in solidarity against the fight, the world over is pouring ‘Stay Strong India’ messages; the social media platforms are rife with ‘best wishes’ to India. 
 
“Our deepest prayers and complete solidarity to the government and people of India in this most difficult period of the pandemic. Praying and hoping for quick relief and recovery,” tweeted Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Tandi Dorji. 
 
Making the solidarity stand strong, other cabinet ministers also took to social media to send a message of a speedy recovery.
 
“We offer our heartfelt prayers and deepest solidarity to the people and government of India as they battle this dreadful pandemic,” wrote the Health Minister, Dasho Dechen Wangmo. 
 
“Sending our heartfelt prayers for a great nation 'India' to emerge out of this dreadful pandemic very soon and our condolences to our friends who have lost their precious lives to this pandemic,” tweeted the Finance Minister, Lyonpo Namgay Tshering. He also added our prayers are always with you.
 
The Prime Minister of India announced to the world that India is facing a ‘storm’ of infections. Experts and observers of COVID-19 in India attribute the storm to successful mitigation of the first wave and later putting down the guard, and the pandemic struck off-guard. 
 
Setting India to a pyre of COVID-19, the acrid autumn mood mulls across the country, the death toll is edging over closer to 195,000 death reports. The reported grim figure is 17,300,000 positive cases while the recovery figure is 14,300,000 individuals. 
 
As the grim figure spikes by the day, observers expressed the best of things about India in the hope to uplift the tired souls. 
 
“Today, my heart melts seeing India in agony with the pandemic raging across the great nation. I know Indians, their fortitude and resilience. I know that ultimately Bharat will prevail. All I can do is pray; invoke the Gods, old and new for a swift end to this horrific tale. And, I know that the prayers of all Bhutanese are with the people of India,” states a former newspaper editor, Ugyen Tenzin on his social media handle. He further states ‘take care citizens and residents of Hindustan’. 
 
As India wages the battle of the worst outbreak, even India’s traditional foe, Pakistan offered medical equipment and supplies to India, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan tweeted prayers for a speedy recovery.  
 
In another stance, United Arab Emirates (UAE) popular landmark building in Dubai, Burj Khalifa was lit up in the tricolour of the Indian flag together with a message flashing ‘Stay Strong India’ to show solidarity amid the massive increase in COVID-19 cases.
 
International efforts to help India fight its devastating coronavirus crisis have stepped up as the White House said the US would immediately provide raw materials for vaccine manufacture and the UK announced it had dispatched ventilators and oxygen to Delhi.
 
“The United States is working around the clock to deploy available resources and supplies,” the National Security Council spokesperson, Emily Horne.
 
The United Kingdom is sending state-of-the-art oxygen cylinders.
 
The UK package includes 495 oxygen concentrators, which can extract oxygen from the air when hospital systems have run out, 120 non-invasive ventilators and 20 manual ventilators. The supplies are to reach Delhi on Tuesday with further shipments later in the week. 
 
India reported 346,786 fresh coronavirus infections, taking the cumulative caseload to 16,610,481 active cases. Amid oxygen shortage and the faltering health system in the country, India saw 2,624 deaths in the highest single-day spike. The death toll from the deadly infection stands at 189,549. The country now has more than 2.55 million active cases.
 
Delhi reported a staggering 348 deaths due to COVID-19 as hospitals continued to grapple with a severe shortage of medical oxygen. As many as 24,331 fresh cases were reported in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra logged 773 COVID-linked deaths in the last 24 hours, registering its biggest single-day spike in the death count, according to official data.
 
Despite the fact, ‘India is the largest manufacturer of India’- the country is running short of vaccines.
 
The United States’ changed its’ earlier standpoint on sharing vaccines witnessing the massive surge of infections in India.