India is currently battling the world’s biggest and deadliest COVID-19 outbreak. It is suspected that this second wave is due to an emergence of more contagious variants, loosening of government restrictions, and a low vaccination rate. Projections are anticipating over one million deaths in India by August. Reports from those on the ground depict overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums. Approximately 70 percent of India’s population live in rural areas and due to a lack of bed availability at hospitals, family members are being forced to care for sick relatives in their homes.
HHI has been working with numerous partners in India and in the United States to deliver critical Personal Protective Equipment to rural areas of India and areas of most need. The first shipment of masks, gloves, pulse oximeters, and thermometers left the HHI warehouse in May, with more shipments of PPE and oxygen concentrators scheduled in the coming days.
