The authorities have directed for converting 100 rooms of Ashoka Hotel in Lutyens' Delhi into a COVID health facility for high court judges, judicial staff and their families.

In an order issued by the sub-divisional magistrate of Chanakyapuri on Sunday, it was stated that the COVID facility at Ashoka Hotel will be associated with Primus Hospital.

In a show of solidarity, CEOs of some 40 top American companies have come together to create a global task force to mobilise resources to help India fight the battle against COVID-19.

A collective initiative of the US-India Business Council of the US Chambers of Commerce, and the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum and Business Roundtable, the task force during its meeting here on Monday committed to get 20,000 oxygen concentrators to India in the next few weeks, Deloitte CEO Puneet Renjen told PTI.

India will receive the first batch of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 on May 1, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, told Reuters on Monday.

He did not say how many vaccines would be in the first batch or where they would be made.

Standing in solidarity with India, France will supply India with substantial medical aid to help the country tackle a huge second wave of the new coronavirus infections that are overwhelming its hospitals, the Elysee presidential palace said on Monday. The shipments to India will include oxygen generators, respirators and cryogenic containers and will start next weekend.

India is facing a massive COVID-19 crisis as the second wave of the infection continues to claim lives even as people are grappling with problems of getting an oxygen-supported bed in hospitals. Crematoriums are witnessing mass funerals whereas burial grounds are also filled to the T. In times such as this, the international community is standing in solidarity with India by providing medical assistance in the form of oxygen generators, respirators, and cryogenic containers.

In the backdrop of Washington announcing assistance to India amid the COVID crisis, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden spoke to each other on Monday. India has been reporting over three lakh COVID-19 cases in the last few days, with allies rushing to assist it.

India PM Modi tweeted, saying, Had a fruitful conversation with @POTUS @JoeBiden today. We discussed the evolving COVID situation in both countries in detail. I thanked President Biden for the support being provided by the United States to India.

The Delhi High Court on Monday requested the AAP government to set up more testing centres in view of the rise in COVID-19 cases in the national capital which is recording over 24,000 fresh infections for the last few days.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh also asked the Delhi government to put in place necessary infrastructure to streamline the sample collectionprocess.

COVID-19 tally in Telangana breached four lakh mark with 6,551 fresh infections and the toll crossed 2,000 with 43 more casualties.

Thetotal number of cases now stands at over 4.01 lakh while the toll rose to 2,042.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 1418, followed by Medchal Malkajgiri (554) and Rangareddy (482), a government bulletin said on Monday providing details as of 8 PM on April 25.

In the urgent fight against the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, e-commerce major Amazon has joined hands with various industry partners and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to urgently bring in 10,000 oxygen concentrators and BiPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure) machines to India.

The company has joined hands with ACT Grants, Temasek Foundation, Pune Platform for COVID-19 Response (PPCR) and other partners to urgently airlift over 8,000 oxygen concentrators and 500 BiPAP machines from Singapore.

State governments are drawing up plans to procure vaccines for people in the 18-45 age group and have started price negotiations with manufacturers.

While Uttar Pradesh has sought 10 million doses (five million each from Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech), Maharashtra is looking to procure 15 million and is floating a global tender for this. Vaccine makers, however, say states are seeking to procure the products at Rs 150 per dose after the Centre said it would continue to get them at that price.

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