Moscow offers medical oxygen, Beijing too willing to lend help

Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, APRIL 23

As the number of Covid patients remained high, Russia, UK, France and Germany among other countries have offered to gift oxygen generating equipment to India.

Germany will be the first to send nearly two dozen oxygen generation plants and France and the UK have also said they are prepared to follow suit.

The Russian offer for oxygen as well as Remdesivir injections came on Friday when India notched the world’s highest daily tally of Covid cases for the second consecutive day.

Russia has offered to provide medical-grade oxygen and anti-viral drug Remdesivir. India, grappling with a record shortage of both products, can begin receiving shipments in a fortnight. Moscow has also offered 4 lakh Remdesivir injections every week. The injections have a going rate of Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 on the black market. India has already waived the import duty on Remdesivir.

Russia is also dispatching emergency doses of Sputnik-V vaccine due to a slow down in production in India. Sources said till its India-made vaccine hit the market in sufficient numbers, India was exploring the possibility of “full and fill” Sputnik vaccines. The US today said categorically that it will first cater to its domestic requirements and only then consider lifting a ban on the export of raw materials that has hit vaccine production in India.

In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China was ready to offer assistance according to India’s needs. Hoping that India will defeat the virus at an early date, ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian expressed Beijing’s sincere sympathies to India over the deteriorating situation in the country recently. “The Chinese government and people firmly support the Indian government and people in fighting the virus,” added Zhao.