IAF, Navy intensify efforts to help tackle Covid-19

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has conducted 59 sorties to airlift 72 cryogenic oxygen storage containers and 1,252 oxygen cylinders from seven countries across the world, the Defence Ministry said on Friday.

These seven countries are Singapore, Dubai, Thailand, the UK, Germany, Belgium and Australia, the ministry said in a statement.

India has been badly hit by the second wave of Covid-19, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a severe shortage of vaccines, oxygen, drugs, equipment and beds.

As on Friday, the C-17 aircraft of the IAF have conducted 400 sorties within the country, including 351 to airlift 252 oxygen tankers of total capacity of 4,904 metric tonnes, the ministry stated.

Along with the IAF, the Indian Navy has also intensified its efforts to aid the civil administration in tackling the current COVID-19 situation by ferrying oxygen containers and medical equipment.

The ministry said the Indian Navy deployed INS Talwar, INS Kolkata, INS Airavat, INS Kochi, INS Tabar, INS Trikand, INS Jalashwa and INS Shardul to ferry oxygen containers, cylinders, concentrators and related equipment from friendly foreign countries.

On May 5, the Indian Navy deployed nine warships to bring liquid oxygen and other medical supplies from several countries in the Persian Gulf and South East Asia.

With a record 4,14,188 new coronavirus infections being reported in a span of 24 hours, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 2,14,91,598 on Friday, while the count of active cases crossed the 36-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The death toll has increased to 2,34,083 with 3,915 fatalities being reported in a day, data uploaded by the ministry showed.

Since April 23, the IAF has been airlifting empty oxygen tankers and containers to various filling stations across the country.

Along with oxygen containers, the IAF has transported essential medicines as well as equipment required by COVID hospitals in various parts of the country.