PIOs campaign to press Biden, WHO to help India fight Covid surge

Posted by Daily Pioneer on April 30th, 2021

The Indian Americans in the US have launched a campaign on online platform change.org to press the Biden administration and the WHO to help India counter the second wave of Covid surge.

Nearly 34,000 PIOs have signed the online petition to move the US Government to provide assistance like lifting the embargo on raw materials used for making anti-Covid vaccines and cheaper antiviral drug Remdesivir as also medical grade oxygen logistics.

“The current Covid-19 situation in India is dire. In many parts of the country, cases are doubling every 5 days, and the unofficial death count may be as high as 17,000/day. The country is running out of hospital beds, oxygen supplies, and critical drugs such as Remdesivir. Fewer than 5% of eligible population has been vaccinated and there are reports of double or triple mutants that may be resistant to vaccines,” states the online petition.

It further said, “The Biden administration and the World Health Organization need to help India face this challenge.”

The petition also urged the US Government and the WHO to provide assistance through actions like providing access to essential ingredients and the know-how for mRNA vaccines so that vaccine manufacturers in India can manufacture these vaccines.

It also sought to send medicines such as Remdesivir at low cost to address shortages, provide medical grade oxygen and logistical support to set up ICU beds.

“Collectively, we cannot defeat this virus unless all parts of our planet have this virus under control. And right now, all hell has broken loose in the second-most populous country in the world and unless the US Government steps in to help, we are going to see unimaginable suffering in India in the coming days, not to speak of the risk of those variations spreading to other parts of the world,” states the petition.

Indian American Ashish Srivastava told The Pioneer, “We are very concerned about the unfolding scale of Covid-19 pandemic in India and stand in solidarity with the people of India.”

Srivastava, a banker by profession, further said the Indian community is pressing the Biden administration to lend timely assistance to effectively fight the pandemic.