India, like many other countries, has been facing the toughest battle against the coronavirus, a cure for which is yet to be discovered. In these challenging times, world leaders are trying to work together towards the common goal - eradicate COVID-19 from the face of this world. Recently, India sent anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to various countries, including the US, after it was found to be effective in the treatment against coronavirus.
It looks like the US is returning the favor by lending a helping hand to India. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced that the US will donate ventilators to India and also cooperate on COVID-19 vaccine development.
"I am proud to announce that the United States will donate ventilators to our friends in India. We stand with India and Narendra Modi during this pandemic. We're also cooperating on vaccine development. Together we will beat the invisible enemy! (sic)," Trump tweeted on Saturday.
Addressing the media at the White House, Trump also said that "we have a tremendous Indian population in the US and many of the people that you are talking about are working on the vaccine too. Great scientists and researchers."
Trump revealed during a press conference that he's hopeful a coronavirus vaccine could hit the market by the end of the year or early next year.
Ventilators problem in India & US
Ventilators are considered extremely important medical equipment to support coronavirus patients in respiration. Currently, there's no urgent requirement for ventilators in India, but as the COVID-19 cases rise in the country, the demand for ventilators might go up. India currently has 18,855 ventilators and domestic manufacturers are making more machines. According to a recent report, about 3.07 percent of active cases are in the ICU and 0.44 percent of active cases are on a ventilator.
In the US, there was a severe shortage of ventilators in March, but responding to Trump's call to build more breathing machines, the country is now facing a surplus of ventilators. After facing criticism for not doing enough for countries in need, the Trump administration started donating ventilators. Last week, Mexico received 211 ventilators, South Africa got up to 1,000 machines, Nigeria was sent 250, and the Trump administration is planning to ship some 8,000 ventilators to foreign countries by the end of July.
