Spain joins EU campaign for India and donates oxygen equipment

SPAIN has sent oxygen cannisters and ventilators to India to help the stricken sub-continent cope with its devastating Covid-19 epidemic, the European Commission has revealed.

Along with 14 other European Union member States, Spain has joined a mass campaign through the bloc's Civil Protection Mechanism as contagion rates spiral out of control, with nearly 20 million people affected and intensive care units filled wall to wall – many of the patients are as young as 30, according to Indian authorities.

“Collective action is the only solution if we want to win our fight against the pandemic,” said Janez Lenarcic, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

Lenarcic says he is 'very proud' of the EU countries which have joined forces to provide this 'substantial assistance' to the Asian nation 'at such a difficult time'.

Last week, offers of aid came from Ireland, Belgium, Romania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Sweden, France, Italy, Austria and Finland, and since then, Spain, The Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic and Denmark have signed up.

All the equipment and medication provided will be sent to India en masse.

From Spain, 119 portable oxygen cannisters - like those in the above photograph - and 145 ventilators are on their way.

The others have donated 500 oxygen cylinders (Czech Republic), 53 ventilators (Denmark), 100 oxygen cannisters, 30,000 phials of the anti-viral drug Remdesivir and 449 ventilators (The Netherlands), and 15,000 phials of anti-viral medication, 516 ventilators and an oxygen generator (Germany).

The European Commission will jointly fund the transport and coordinate delivery.

With almost 20 million cases, India has become the second-worst hit country on earth in terms of numbers – rather than percentage – with only the USA reporting more cases of contagion, at 32.4 million.

India is grappling with a fast-moving 'second wave' of the virus, in the form of a new mutation which is proving exceptionally aggressive and contagious and has left its health service overwhelmed.