30 June,2021 06:18 AM IST | Washington | Agencies
In May, US President Joe Biden announced $ 100 million worth of Covid-19 assistance to India. Pic/AFP
The US has announced an additional $ 41 million assistance to help India respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and strengthen the country's preparedness for the future health emergencies, taking the total aid to more than $ 200 million.
In April and May, India struggled with the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new cases. Hospitals were reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.
"India came to the assistance of the United States during this country's time of need, and now the United States stands with the people of India as they continue to battle the Covid-19 pandemic," the US Agency for International Development said on Monday.
USAID announced an additional $ 41 million in support to help India respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and strengthen the country's preparedness for Covid-19 and future health emergencies.
USAID's assistance will support access to Covid-19 testing, pandemic-related mental health services, timely referrals to medical services, and access to healthcare in remote areas, the independent agency of the US federal government primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance said.
Through this additional funding, USAID will continue to partner with India to strengthen healthcare supply chains and electronic health information systems, support its vaccination efforts, and mobilize and coordinate private sector relief, it said. USAID has contributed more than $200 mn for India's Covid-19 relief and response efforts since the pandemic began, including more than $50 mn in emergency supplies and training for more than 2,14,000 frontline health workers on infection prevention and control, benefitting more than 42 mn Indians, according to a media release.
Two doses of the China-made Covid-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, are safe and produce a strong antibody response among children and adolescents aged 3-17 years, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal. The phase 1/2 trial on 550 young people found that over 96 per cent of children and adolescents who received two doses of the vaccine by Sinovac, developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Most reactions were mild or moderate, with pain at the injection site the most commonly reported symptom, the researchers said.
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on Tuesday announced that the efficacy of its Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was confirmed at 97.8 per cent among over 81,000 people.
Australia is offering AstraZeneca to all adults in a bid to rapidly ramp up sluggish vaccination rates as more of the country on Tuesday locked down against the spread of Covid-19. The government late Monday agreed to indemnify doctors who administer the AstraZeneca vaccine that has been blamed for at least two fatalities from a rare blood clot complication in Australia since April.
1,54,960
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours
18,10,07,816
Total no. of cases worldwide
39,27,222
Total no. of deaths worldwide
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