A top American lawmaker has proposed sending a mercy ship to India to help the country which is struggling to deal with a deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The situation in India is so dire that the US must organise and collaborate to provide the aid India needs, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said after the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston announced sending COVID-19 assistance to India.
"Today, we announced humanitarian help to India and proposed travel of a mercy ship to India to help with the devastation of COVID-19," Jackson Lee said on Wednesday, as several lawmakers came forward appealing for more assistance to India.
Congresswoman Katherine Clark said that the United States must continue to do everything it can to end the crisis in India and other countries and protect people from infection and the deadly impact of COVID-19.
"Our work as a nation is not over until the pandemic has been stopped in all corners of the world," she said.
Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi had a virtual meeting with India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, during which he extended full support to India in its fight against COVID-19.
"I thanked Congressman for his strong support for India during these challenging times," Taranjit Singh Sandhu said in a tweet.
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester praised the Department of Defence for flying COVID-19 assistance to India.
"Wonderful to see this support making its way to #India. Sending my prayers to the entire country as they face down this wave of COVID19," she said.
India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.
A record 3,780 fresh COVID-19 fatalities were registered in a single day in India taking the death count to 2,26,188, while 3,82,315 new coronavirus infections were recorded, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
With the fresh cases, the total tally of COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to 2,06,65,148.
Over 40 countries have committed to provide India urgently required medical supplies like oxygen-related equipment and critical medicines to help it deal with an unprecedented second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said in New Delhi last week.
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