The Covid-19 Pandemic & Help Coimbatore Breathe

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people all over Europe and the United States faced critical situations, it seemed as if India had dodged a bullet - until this early spring, it appeared as if India had made it past the worst of this global catastrophe. During the months of February and March, restrictions and lockdowns were lifted, and people went to mass gatherings of festivals and political rallies. It appeared that life was going to go back to normal. However, a fierce second wave of the coronavirus sent the country into a panic. Breaking worldwide records for cases day by day, things have been looking dire. Since the pandemic first started, India has had more than 29 million cases and more than 300 thousand deaths. Mutant variants of the virus such as the B.1.1.7 variant and the B.1.617 variant have been circulating across the country causing a rapid spread of the disease. With most of my family living in India, it has been terrifying looking at the situation there and how it has been affecting them. Hospitals have been overwhelmed by the vast number of cases - they have been experiencing a shortage of essential items such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), medicine, beds, and especially oxygen. You may have seen on multiple social media platforms families of the sick pleading for help and funds for oxygen. It has been devastating to see photographs of patients getting treated in their cars, crematories overwhelmed by the skyrocketing amounts of deaths, and so many mourning families. Even though the situation in India may not be affecting me directly, it has had a ripple effect on other countries. Being the home of the world’s largest manufacturer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the Serum Institute of India, India is an important source of vaccines for other countries. But due to the situation, in March, India had to stop major exports of vaccines to other countries, causing them to receive much fewer doses than expected. This has left other countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and many countries in Africa to struggle for alternative sources for the vaccine. According to reuters.com, it is unlikely that India will resume major vaccine exports until October. Although the past couple of weeks has seen a decline in cases, there is still a long way to go. As you can see, when one country is hit, it has a ripple effect on the world. We must help each other get through these dark times. As you may have heard over a million times during this pandemic, we are in this together. If we can support each other, our world will be able to rise from the fallout of this pandemic as one united world. Make Today Matter is helping to do their part in providing COVID-19 relief in India with the Help Coimbatore Breathe Initiative by raising money for an oxygen generator in a hospital located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Thank you so much for supporting Make Today Matter! Stay tuned for our next initiative, and keep doing your part in this pandemic.