US Ambassador To UN Says America Will Help India With "Heartbreaking COVID-19 Situation"

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations said that the US was doing everything they can to help India with the “heartbreaking COVID situation”.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s Tweet came after the Biden Administration stated that additional supplies would be deployed to India. The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India has resulted in overrun hospitals, a shortage of hospital beds, and a shortage of oxygen cylinders.

We are doing everything we can to help with the heartbreaking COVID-19 situation in India, including deploying vaccine materials, therapeutics, ventilators, public health teams, and financial support. We will work around the clock to help alleviate the suffering.

— Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (@USAmbUN) April 26, 2021

The United States of America had been criticised for the temporary export ban on vaccine material after State Department spokesperson said “it's in the interests of the rest of the world to see Americans vaccinated.”

On April 25, the White House and senior officials stated that materials for making vaccines would be sent to India. Along with the materials, ventilators, PPE, rapid diagnostic test kits and therapeutics would be also be sent.

The announcement had come after a meeting between the National Security Advisors of the two countries, Jake Sullivan and Ajit Doval. The Indian government had reported more than 349,000 new infections in a day, a world record. According to a New York Times database, less than 10 per cent of Indians have received a single dose of the vaccine, and only 1.6 per cent are fully vaccinated.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield is a diplomat who served as the US assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 2013 to 2017. She was nominated by President Joe Biden to be the ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 23, 2021. Thomas-Greenfield took office as the ambassador to the (UN) on February 23, 2021.

In 2017, Thomas-Greenfield had been terminated by former President Donald Trump’s administration. The Los Angeles Times called it the “purge of senior State Department officials and career professionals over nearly four years.”

Feature Image Credit: Credit: Washington Examiner