New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that the city will tap into its stockpile to send Covid-19 test kits, swabs, ventilators, BiPap machines, pulse oximeters, and other medical supplies to India, which is currently battling a devastative second wave of the pandemic. However, de Blasio didn’t disclose the quantity and schedule about the transnational aid, reports Xinhua news agency.

“Now, it is our turn to step up and help India in its moment of crisis. We are sending vital medical equipment to India to send a clear message: nobody is in the fight against COVID-19 alone. Together, we can save lives and beat back the pandemic,” the Mayor said in a statement issued in May.

New York City Health Commissioner Dave A. Chokshi, an Indian-American, said: “Our city, home to thousands of Indian-born New Yorkers, and our country has a moral imperative to demonstrate global solidarity in order to overcome this devastating pandemic.” Chokshi appealed to the White House to take further action to waive Covid-19 vaccine patents and said that all research, technology and techniques for producing the jabs should be publicly shared.