EU preparing quick response to India request for coronavirus assistance

European Union leaders said on Sunday that they were ready to mobilize and provide support to India as it endures a new surge in coronavirus cases.

“Alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India. We are ready to support.,” President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen tweeted. “The EU is pooling resources to respond rapidly to India’s request for assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. We stand in full solidarity with the Indian people!”

Alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India. We are ready to support.

The EU is pooling resources to respond rapidly to India’s request for assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

We stand in full solidarity with the Indian people! https://t.co/Pv8ezFPdS3

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 25, 2021

European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič tweeted, “Upon request for assistance by #India, we have activated the #EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The [European Union] will do its utmost to mobilise assistance to support people of [India]. Our #ERCC is already coordinating EU MS that are ready to provide urgently needed #oxygen & medicine rapidly.”

In a statement released by Steffen Seibert, spokesperson for the German federal government, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “To the people of India I want to express my sympathy on the terrible suffering that #Covid19 has again brought over your communities. The fight against the pandemic is our common fight. Germany stands in solidarity with India and is urgently preparing a mission of support.”

Chancellor #Merkel: Solidarity and support to the people of India. #CovidIndia pic.twitter.com/FJO5cSAEYb

— Steffen Seibert (@RegSprecher) April 25, 2021

The declarations comes the same day the U.S. government announced it would be providing support to the Indian government and Indian health care providers to stymie the spread of COVID-19 in India.

Several other countries have issued travel restrictions from India including Italy, the U.K., Canada, New Zealand and Indonesia.

India’s hospital system is currently battling an enormous surge in cases while also struggling to obtain needed supplies such as oxygen. Some hospitals have resorted to tweeting the federal government for aide. India currently has the second most infections in the world, surpassing Brazil.

A slew of healthcare experts have called on President Biden to lift export controls on raw materials needed to manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is approved for use in India but not in the U.S. The U.S. currently has tens of millions of AstraZeneca doses on hand, which experts have said would be best used as donations to other countries that need the shots.