WHO says COVID situation in India beyond heartbreaking, reserves judgement on new variant

WHO says COVID situation in India beyond heartbreaking, reserves judgement on new variant

WHO is doing everything they can, providing critical equipment and supplies

Looking at the alarming rise in coronavirus deaths in India, the World Health Organization chief voiced alarm on Monday, saying the organisation was rushing to help address the crisis. “The situation in India is beyond heartbreaking,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was quoted as saying by AFP.

The statement from the WHO comes as India battles a catastrophic coronavirus wave that has overwhelmed hospitals, with crematoriums working at full capacity. “WHO is doing everything we can, providing critical equipment and supplies,” Tedros said.

WHO says COVID situation in India beyond heartbreaking, reserves judgement on new variant
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He also added that the UN health agency was among other things sending “thousands of oxygen concentrators, prefabricated mobile field hospitals and laboratory supplies”.

In the wake of the rising COVID deaths in India, a number of other countries including the US and Britain rushed ventilators and vaccine materials to help India weather the crisis, while a range of other countries also pledged support.

On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against jumping to conclusions about a new coronavirus variant discovered in India, saying it had not yet classified it as worrying. A WHO spokeswoman said that it was not clear at this point to what extent the variant was responsible for the rapid increase in cases in India in recent months, DPA news agency reported.

There are many factors that could have contributed to this, she said. For example, festivals and other events with many participants may have accelerated infections.

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