COVID Surge: After Pichai, Nadella, Now Cook Pledges Aid to India
Earlier, Google and Microsoft had offered their services.
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Amid a severe COVID-19 crisis in India, Apple CEO Tim Cook has pledged the company’s support and aid to India. In a tweet on Tuesday, 27 April, Cook said that Apple would be donating to support and relief efforts on the ground.
Cook’s announcement comes a day after Google CEO Sundar Pichai as well as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella pledged their support to the country to overcome the crisis.
Pichai on Monday took to Twitter to say that he was “devastated by the worsening crisis in India, in light of which Google and ‘Googlers’ will be providing Rs 135 crore to UNICEF and the non-profit Give India for “medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information (sic)”.
The donation includes two grants from Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, amounting to Rs 20 crore.
"The first is to GiveIndia to provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their every-day expenses. The second will go to UNICEF to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where it's needed most in India," said Sanjay Gupta, Country Head and VP, India, according to IANS.
Nadella, meanwhile, said he was “heartbroken” by the situation in India and added that Microsoft will continue to help in the relief efforts and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices.
Nadella also thanked the US for extending help to India. In a break from the 'America First' policy, President Joe Biden's administration is "working round the clock" to immediately send India raw material needed for making Covishield and other products needed in the fight against the COVID-19 surge overtaking the nation, according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
The US will also send India supplies like test kits, ventilators, medications and PPE used by frontline workers.
The US is also deploying an expert team of public health advisors from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and USAID to work with the embassy in Delhi, India's Health Ministry, and India's Epidemic Intelligence Service.
Nations Come to India’s Aid
Several countries ,including the United States of America (US), the United Kingdom (UK), the European Union (EU), Germany, Singapore, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have come to India’s aid as the country faces an acute shortage of medical oxygen and other health infrastructure facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
While several of these nations have already dispatched help, many have officially offered to help India tackle the pandemic.
As many as 2,812 COVID fatalities and 2,19,272 discharges were recorded on Sunday, as per the Union Health Ministry. The total case tally has now reached 1,73,13,163 with 28,13,658 active patients and 1,95,123 deaths. The total number of recoveries, meanwhile, stands at 1,43,04,382.
(With inputs from IANS.)
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