New Delhi: Russia on Thursday delivered to India 20 tonnes of medical supplies mainly comprising oxygen concentrators, ventilators and medicines as part of its assistance to help the country deal with the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped several states and union territories.
The medical supplies were brought to Delhi in two transport aircraft operated by Russia's EMERCOM, a state-run agency overseeing civil emergency services.
Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that first consignment of oxygen concentrators have arrived from Germany on an Air India flight.
An oxygen concentrators, is a medical device that concentrates oxygen from ambient air.
In a tweet, the minister said: "First consignment of oxygen concentrators from Germany arrives in Delhi on @airindiain Flight AI120. More to follow. Every stakeholder of India's civil aviation sector is making a meaningful contribution in our unrelenting fight against COVID."
Besides, Air India, SpiceXpress, the air cargo arm of SpiceJet, on Wednesday, airlifted 1,000 oxygen concentrators from Hong Kong to Delhi.
In the last two weeks, more than 2,000 oxygen concentrators have been airlifted by SpiceJet for SpiceHealth.
Lately, India is reporting new record daily increases in coronavirus infections, prompting new lockdowns and restrictive measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.
The exponential rise has lifted the demand for these medical equipments which are used to provide oxygen to Covid-19 patients especially as the country faces a supply crunch in the availability of medical oxygen.
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COVID-19: First consignments of medical supplies from US, Russia expected to reach India by Thursday
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