Moneycontrol PRO
HomeNewsIndiaCOVID-19 second wave | Pakistan’s Edhi Foundation offers to help after #IndiaNeedsOxygen trends on Twitter

COVID-19 second wave | Pakistan’s Edhi Foundation offers to help after #IndiaNeedsOxygen trends on Twitter

Edhi Foundation Chairman Faisal Edhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23, requesting permission for his volunteers and 50 ambulances to enter India and help manage the COVID-19 crisis.

April 23, 2021 / 18:32 IST
Representational image

Pakistani humanitarian organisation Edhi Foundation has offered help to the Government of India in fighting the coronavirus second wave as the country is reporting over three lakh fresh COVID-19 cases and several states are battling a lack of oxygen and hospital beds.

Edhi Foundation Chairman Faisal Edhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 23, requesting permission for his volunteers and 50 ambulances to enter India and help manage the COVID-19 crisis. The team would consist of medical technicians, drivers, and support staff.

The chairman of Edhi Foundation, which leads one of Pakistan’s most noted charitable ambulance networks, wrote in his letter to PM Modi: “We are very sorry to hear about the exceptionally heavy impact that the pandemic has had on your country, where a tremendous number of people are suffering immensely.... we would like to extend our help in the form of a fleet of 50 ambulances along with our services to assist you in addressing, and further circumventing, the current health conditions.”

The letter added: “We will arrange all the necessary supplies that our team needs to assist the people of India. Importantly, we are not requesting any other assistance from you, as we are providing the fuel, food, and necessary amenities that our team will require.”

“We only request your permission to enter India as well as any necessary guidance from the local administration and police department,” Faisal Edhi said.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

View more
How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

View more
Show

The charitable organisation’s offer to help India came after the hashtag #IndiaNeedsOxygen started trending on number one in Pakistan early on April 23. Pakistanis have been requesting their Prime Minister Imran Khan to help India fight the current COVID-19 crisis.

Moneycontrol News
first published: Apr 23, 2021 06:32 pm

Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!

Subscribe to Tech Newsletters

  • On Saturdays

    Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.

  • Daily-Weekdays

    Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.

Advisory Alert: It has come to our attention that certain individuals are representing themselves as affiliates of Moneycontrol and soliciting funds on the false promise of assured returns on their investments. We wish to reiterate that Moneycontrol does not solicit funds from investors and neither does it promise any assured returns. In case you are approached by anyone making such claims, please write to us at grievanceofficer@nw18.com or call on 02268882347
CloseOutskill Genai