Top Indian diplomat praises UAE for support during deadly Covid-19 surge

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the country was grateful for assistance from Gulf nations

Workers carry biodegradable cardboard beds at a makeshift ward set up at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in south Delhi. Bloomberg

Health workers turn away an ambulance at the main entrance of Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital in India's capital New Delhi. Bloomberg

Harsh Vardhan, India's health minister, inspects a Covid-19 centre in the capital city of New Delhi. India is now the global coronavirus hotspot, setting daily new records for the world's highest number of cases. Bloomberg

People carry oxygen cylinders after refilling them at a factory amid a surge in coronavirus cases in India's western city of Ahmedabad. Reuters

Workers prepare beds at a makeshift Covid-19 ward set up at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in south Delhi. Bloomberg

A man suffering from shortness of breath receives free oxygen inside his car at a gurudwara, Sikh temple, amid the spread of coronavirus, in northern Indian city of Ghaziabad. Reuters

A board indicates unavailability of beds at Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital in India's capital New Delhi. Bloomberg

Relatives offer prayers before they bury the body of a Covid-19 victim in Guwahati, the capital of north-east Indian state Assam. AP Photo

A sign indicates unavailability of oxygen at the Covid-19 care centre set up at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex in New Delhi. Bloomberg

A patient wearing an oxygen mask looks on as his wife holds a battery-operated fan as they wait inside an auto-rickshaw to enter a Covid-19 hospital, in western Indian city of Ahmedabad. Reuters

A man rides a bicycle through a deserted market area in the northern Indian city of Amritsar amid the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19. AFP

Health workers outside a Covid-19 ward set up at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex in New Delhi. Bloomberg

Patients inside a Covid-19 ward set up at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex in New Delhi. Bloomberg

India's foreign secretary on Saturday praised the support of the UAE and other Gulf nations, as his country grapples with a growing Covid-19 crisis.

Infections continue to surge in India, with health services overwhelmed by case numbers.

The country's increasingly desperate struggle against the pandemic reached a grim milestone on Saturday, when more than 400,000 new infections were recorded for the first time in a day.

A further 3,523 fatalities were reported in the previous 24 hours, taking the total coronavirus death toll in India to 211,853, according to official data.

Medical supplies sent from the UAE to India arrived on Friday.

Equipment included 157 ventilators and 480 bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPap) machines used to ease breathing difficulties.

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the country had received "a lot of assistance and also commitments of assistance from the Gulf region".

He said the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar delivered key support.

Mr Shringla acknowledged "a special cargo flight from the UAE with ventilators and Favipiravir medicines", reported state news agency Wam.

Favipiravir is an anti-viral option for treating Covid-19.

Mr Shringla said India is in negotiations with the UAE to procure supplies of another anti-viral medicine, Remdesivir.

"Wherever stocks are available, we are trying to contact them and trying to get it into our country at the earliest so that we can cover the short-term gap."

He said all medical equipment and supplies destined for India would be exempt from the taxes, customs duties and other dues that would normally be paid.

"We want to make sure that this process is smooth right from the point that we identify sources of supply to the point that it actually reaches those of our citizens that need these items," Mr Shringla said.

UAE delivers crucial aid to India