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Flights suspended: How Australia will aid India’s critical shortage of medical supplies
As Coronavirus case numbers continue to soar in India, other nations are lending support
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has today revealed an initial support package to help India, as it struggles with a critical shortage of medical supplies.
Australia will send 500 ventilators, 1 million surgical masks, 500,000 P2 and N95 masks, 1 million surgical masks, 100,000 goggles, 100,000 pairs of gloves and 20,000 face shields.
DFAT will manage the movement of the items
The crisis has also resulted in Australia suspending all flights to and from India until the 15th of may, following emergency talks today.
“I stress this is an initial package, there’ll be more to follow,”
Mr Morrison said.
Shocking scenes of overflowing hospitals and bodies being burnt in makeshift crematoriums paint a grim picture of the Covid crisis gripping India.
In a single day the number of new infections climbed above 350 thousand, a new record.
India has more than 17.3 million infections overall and almost 200 thousand deaths.
The country has now ordered its armed forces to help tackle the soaring infection numbers
the Chief of Defence Staff says oxygen will be sent to hospitals from armed forces reserves and retired medical military personnel would join COVID health facilities.