‘This is a human catastrophe’
Humanitarian agencies call for aid as India surge spreads to Nepal
GENEVA: Nepal is being overwhelmed by a Covid-19 surge as India’s outbreak spreads across South Asia, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.
“We need to act now and we need to act fast to have any hope of containing this human catastrophe.
“This virus has no respect for borders and these variants are running rampant across Asia,” said Alexander Matheou, Asia Pacific director for the Geneva-based agency representing the global humanitarian network, yesterday.
Nepal is now recording 57 times as many cases as a month ago, with 44% of tests now coming back positive, the statement said.
Nepalese towns near the Indian border could not cope with the growing number of people needing treatment, while only one per cent of the country’s population was fully vaccinated.
“What is happening in India right now is a horrifying preview of Nepal’s future if we cannot contain this latest Covid-19 surge that is claiming more lives by the minute,” said Netra Prasad Timsina, chair of the Nepal Red Cross.
The statement noted that other neighbours of India were also in the firing line as the outbreak spreads. Hospital intensive care units in Pakistan and Bangladesh were full or close to capacity, it said.
India yesterday pledged billions of dollars to boost its flagging vaccine programme, as US President Joe Biden said 70% of American
adults should have had at least one coronavirus shot by July 4.
With vaccines among the main weapons in the fight against the pandemic, pharma giant Pfizer reported a huge jump in profits based on sales of its Covid-19 shot as a growing campaign called for patent waivers so that poorer nations could get quicker access. Among the leaders of that campaign is India, which reported nearly 3,800 new deaths yesterday – a national record – and over 380,000 fresh cases as it grapples with one of the world’s worst outbreaks.
Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das pledged US$6.7bil (RM27.6bil) in cheap financing for vaccine makers, hospitals and other health firms.
Meanwhile, India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Britain for Group of Seven (G7) meetings, said yesterday that he would hold his talks virtually after being exposed to possible coronavirus cases.
India is not part of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies but was invited by Britain to the talks.
Sky News earlier reported that there had been two positive cases among the Indian delegation.
Meanwhile, eight Asiatic lions at an Indian zoo had contracted the coronavirus, the government said on Tuesday.
Zoo authorities in Hyderabad shared samples with a government research laboratory on March 24 after the lions showed signs of respiratory distress.