How to Help India Fight COVID-19 – What CARE is Doing
Since the onset of the second surge, CARE has been working with state governments to establish COVID-19 care centers and distribute life-saving oxygen and medical supplies in priority areas. We continue to sustain those activities while also ramping up clinical care capabilities at the community and district levels as well as support vaccine rollout strategies.
To date, 10% of the Indian population has been fully vaccinated, compared to 1.2% in late April. Addressing vaccine hesitancy, community mobilization, and 24/7 mega-vaccination campaigns are top priorities to stop the spread and prevent future waves. There are also education and employment challenges that need to be addressed in marginalized communities, where schools have been closed and daily wage earners haven’t been able to work. Families have little or no money for the basics, including food.
Many children have lost parents or have been abandoned during the pandemic. While strengthening health systems and scaling vaccinations are being prioritized, CARE also is meeting the needs of orphaned children as well as supporting educational and livelihood needs that have an equally detrimental impact if left unaddressed.
