Asia Pacific Director for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Alexander Matheou has said that deadly coronavirus has no respect for borders and these variants are running rampant across Asia.
Pakistan, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries have all experienced recent record death rates due to COVID-19. The world’s largest humanitarian network said that hospitals and intensive care departments remained full or close to capacity in many areas across Pakistan and Bangladesh.
“We need to act now and we need to act fast to have any hope of containing this human catastrophe,” Alexander Matheou said. “We must do more to prevent this tragedy unfolding across South Asia. All eyes are on India this week, but we must also consider what we may be facing in the coming weeks and how best to prepare for it.”
“Urgent international support is needed to prevent a worsening human catastrophe in countries across South Asia as India’s total COVID-19 infections soar past 20 million,” according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In Nepal, many hospitals are full and overflowing with corona patients.
In Nepal, southern towns near India’s border are unable to cope with the growing number of people needing medical treatment, the humanitarian network reported. Alexander Matheou also said that Nepal urgently needs support, to save more lives and treat people who are suffering.
“We will not succeed in overcoming this terrible disease until vaccines are available to protect everyone, regardless of nationality or income.” Across Nepal, 44 per cent of tests returned positive results last weekend, according to authorities, indicating thousands of infections are undiagnosed. There are grave fears of mass deaths if the virus continues spreading unchecked across Nepal.
Nepal Red Cross Chairperson Dr Netra Prasad Timsina said that what was happening in India right now was a horrifying preview of Nepal’s future “if we cannot contain this latest corona surge that is claiming more lives by the minute.” He said that every effort was being made to save lives right now across Nepal with increased medical treatment.
He said that Nepal Red Cross volunteer health teams were also reducing record infections by helping with testing, vaccinations, handwashing, mask-wearing and isolating infected people. “It is beyond distressing to see that people cannot say goodbye to their loved ones as cremations are taking place at record levels due to these new corona variants, which are striking down people of all ages in Nepal,” he said.