AUSTIN, Texas — The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated India recently, as the country set a daily global record of new cases in a single day, The Associated Press reported Saturday.
There were 401,993 new cases reported on May 1, taking the nation's tally to more than 19.1 million. That number has already eclipsed 20 million since Saturday's report.
KVUE's partners at the Austin American-Statesman spoke with Kavita Tewari who, along with a small group of friends in Austin, are trying to do everything they can to help the worsening situation across the Pacific.
"It’s a sad situation everywhere you look. I really don’t know what we can do for these people, but we really want to do some little bit," Tewari told the Statesman. "We have to do something."
Tewari and company have started a GoFundMe page titled "Help India Breathe: Oxygen Donation Drive" to raise funds for supplies to alleviate the shortage of oxygen tanks needed for COVID-19 patients.
According to the GoFundMe fundraiser, they've partnered with a nonprofit called Doctors For You USA to ensure that the medical devices are distributed to people who are most in need.
“It seems like every five minutes, there is an ambulance that crosses the street outside. I don’t know where they are taking them. I have no idea where people are going, because the hospitals are full,” said Tewari, whose childhood friend, Ritu Khanna, lives in Austin.
Last week, the U.S. began delivering therapeutics, rapid virus tests and oxygen to India, along with some materials needed for India to boost its domestic production of COVID-19 vaccines, according to The Associated Press.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, has also shared messages of support on social media for India.
"Tonight, there’s a light burning at our home in recognition of the horror and devastation in India due to COVID-19. The stories and images are absolutely heartbreaking. We share the pain and the grief of our friends and neighbors like @PoojaATX, who organized tonight’s vigil," Doggett tweeted on April 29.
You can read the Statesman's full report speaking with other members of the Indian American community in Austin here.
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