Canada sending ventilators and aid to overwhelmed India

In a statement provided to Global News, the Canadian Armed Forces confirmed a Canadian C-130 has left Trenton airbase en route to Indian to deliver much needed supplies to help the country dealing with a deadly second wave. The C-130 is staffed by Canadian Air Force personnel and is planned to arrive in India on Saturday.

Canada has also committed to donating $10 million to the Indian Red Cross to help fight COVID-19 in India. India is currently the hotspot of COVID-19 in the world with nearly 400,000 daily cases being reported in the country. The country is notably short on medical equipment and supplemental oxygen prompting the influx of Canadian aid to help the country.

India's diplomats at the G7 meeting in London have also tested positive for COVID-19, causing the Foreign Minister to have to complete the rest of his engagements for the three-day summit virtually. The country now has over 20 million reported cases of COVID-19.

In the statement, the Canadian Armed Forces said, "The supplies identified for this donation will not compromise continued efforts of the COVID-19 response at home in Canada." Canada is also contributing 25,000 vials of remdesivir, an antiviral drug that is vital to treating COVID-19 and reducing the death rate. 25,000 vials equates to 4,000 courses of treatment according to Global Affairs Canada.

It is unclear if this will be the extent of the aid Canada is providing or if this is just the start to a larger effort. On April 23, Canada cut off flights from India to Canada to help slow the spread in Canada which is also experiencing a rush of cases, there are still flights from Canada to India however.