To help India battle Covid-19, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha continued to gift supplies to help the country.

At the handover ceremony. Photo: VNA

As the second wave of the pandemic continues to extract a hefty toll and leads to a crippling shortage of medical supplies, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha on May 18 has handed over medical supplies worth 1.8 billion VND (78,320 U.S. dollars) to Indian peers in a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City, reported VNA.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Chairman of the Sangha Executive Council Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon expressed his sympathy for the suffering and losses of Indian Buddhists and people due to the ravages of the pandemic.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has called on Buddhist monks, nuns and followers and people around Vietnam to support their Indian counterparts to overcome the difficulties, he added.

Nhon underlined that the aid to the Indian people is part of activities marking the UN Day of Vesak this year, upholding the spirit of “the haves helping the have-nots” and nurturing the sound traditional relations between the people of the two countries.

On behalf of the Indian Government and its people, Indian Consul General in HCM City Madan Mohan Sethi expressed his gratitude to the VBS and Buddhist monks, nuns and followers and people in Vietnam for their assistance in the fight against Covid-19, and pledged to deliver the aid to the needy.

He also vowed to spare no effort in further strengthening the solidarity and friendship between the people of India and Vietnam.

During the handover ceremony, Nhon also presented the token of 75 ventilators and oxygen concentrators to the Consul General.

Buddhist Nuns of Vietnam Buddhist University send their prayers to India at Thanh Tam Pagoda, HCM City on May 5.

An additional 45 ventilators and oxygen concentrators will soon be handed over to the Indian Consulate General in HCM City.

Previously, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha also presented 100 ventilators and 50 oxygen concentrators worth 14 billion VND (608,000 U.S dollars) to the Embassy of India during a ceremony in Hanoi on May 12.

The Vietnamese Government presented medical supplies worth 70,000 U.S. dollars to India, while the Vietnam-India Friendship Association donated 100 ventilators.

India on May 19 reported 267,334 new Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours, while 4,542 people succumbed to the disease, as per the data reported by Hindustan Times. India recorded the highest single-day mortalities worldwide with more than 4,500 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Only the United States has had more cases, or a worse single day death toll, when it lost 5,444 people on Feb. 12.

More than 18.5 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in India, according to the Union health ministry data.

The world's largest vaccination drive began on January 16 and is currently in its third phase, opened to everyone above the age of 18 years.

India, the world's largest vaccine maker, halted exports a month ago after donating or selling more than 66 million doses, and government sources told Reuters it was unlikely to resume major exports of vaccines until at least October to prioritise domestic needs./.

Hannah Nguyen