Dr Fauci advises India to gather all resources
Country needs to build makeshift field hospitals, says expert
Washington, May 4: Terming the situation in India “very desperate”, America’s top public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci has suggested the government marshal all its resources, including the armed forces, to immediately build makeshift field hospitals, and urged other countries to help with not only materials but also personnel.
In an exclusive interview, Fauci, who is the Chief Medical Adviser to US President Joe Biden, also called for a nationwide lockdown, not necessarily for six months but “for a few weeks” to break the “continuity and transmission of infection.”
Dr Fauci’s suggestions and dire assessment of India came as the number of new Covid infections in India officially passed 2 crore, almost double the number three months ago. Of these more than 2,20,000 people have died, according to official figures.
In contrast, the United States has recorded 3.2 crore cases and 5,77,000 deaths in a population that’s one-fourth of India's 120 crore since the pandemic began. Still, because of India’s inadequate healthcare infrastructure, weaker economy and lower standard of living, the suffering has been magnified, especially in the second wave that has led to a huge shortage of oxygen and hospital ICU beds.
The government says the infection rates have consistently dropped since April 30, when it recorded more than
400,000 cases. It reported over 355,000 cases on Tuesday. “Given the fact that India is under such terrible stress right now with the extent of the outbreak, the rest of the world should pitch in to help, similar to what the US is doing,” he said.
“The world can help by supplying India with materials, and perhaps even personnel, but certainly materials that they need to adequately address it (the pandemic),” he said. The 80-yearold physician and immunologist, who serves as the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Monday also recommend mass vaccination to arrest the current spread of the deadly disease across India. “Right now, they should start getting as many people vaccinated as they possibly can,” Fauci said. —