How to help India during its devastating COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-19 crisis continues to devastate India as the official death toll nears 220,000, with many suspecting the actual toll is far higher.  Care India is supplying PPE to frontline workers and helping set up temporary COVID-specific hospitals and care centers across India. Since the pandemic began, it has supplied over 39,000 PPE kits, 220,000 masks and thousands of gallons of disinfectant and hand sanitizer. UNICEF is supplying oxygen concentrators, testing systems, PPE kits and personal care products. Project HOPE is working with the Indian government to deliver medical supplies to the country's hardest-hit areas, train frontline health workers and educate communities on COVID and how to stop the spread. Americares is supplying oxygen concentrators, ventilators, PPE kits, masks, sanitizers, thermometers and other medical equipment. It is also offering telehealth consultations and medicine delivery and helping educate communities about the disease. Give India's India COVID Response Fund includes wide-ranging fundraisers to help supply oxygen, medical beds,  sanitary napkins and food and fund medical treatments and quarantine support. The Indian Red Cross Society is running blood drives and delivering equipment across the country. The Association for India's Development is providing direct relief services, including delivering groceries and other items to those whose livelihoods are directly impacted by the pandemic. It is also setting up COVID-19 information helplines and help desks in rural areas, and working directly with grassroots community organizations. Vibha is helping provide food and hygiene kits for families, oxygen concentrators to hospitals and working to set up vaccination centers. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, which represents more than 80,000 practicing physicians in the U.S., is using financial donations to provide oxygen concentrators to India. Oxfam India is providing PPE, supplying food and cash to those hardest hit, working with policymakers on ensuring vaccine accessibility and working to support India's overall public health system.  Indian crowd-funding platform Ketto is fundraising for oxygen supplies. The American India Foundation is assisting with oxygen, medical beds and cold-storage equipment, as well as community outreach and education.

There is a dire vaccine shortage, extremely low oxygen and PPE supplies, and mass cremations are taking place. The anger directed at the government for the slow response is growing daily. The U.S. recently restricted travel from the country. As the world steps up amid calls to aid India, domestic cricket league team Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday announced an initiative to donate money toward "healthcare infrastructure related to oxygen support" across the country. The team will also sport special blue uniforms paying tribute to frontline workers, and then auction off the signed jerseys to raise funds for the initiative.