In an interactive webinar on Saturday, June 12^th, Moncho Ferrer, President of the Board of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation (VFF) USA, delivered an update on the COVID-19 situation in rural India. VFF USA’s donors from New Jersey, Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland, Texas, California and the U.K. had the opportunity to ask questions and hear the latest news from Anantapur.

“The situation is much better,” Moncho assured the webinar participants. Indeed, there has been a noticeable decrease in cases. This comes as a huge relief after the devastation of the previous month. As Moncho noted, throughout the month of May, there had been 150-200 COVID-19 patients waiting for treatment outside RDT’s Bathalapalli Hospital every day. To accommodate them, the hospital was forced to put an additional 30 beds out on the veranda. Mercifully, those extra beds are no longer necessary.

Mission Oxygen: Accomplished!

“Where we really struggled was oxygen,” said Moncho, recalling the trials of the previous month.

Prior to the second wave, RDT Bathalapalli Hospital used to refill its oxygen cylinders every 15 days. During the second wave cylinders needed to be filled on a daily basis.

Thanks to the generous support of VFF USA’s donors, money was not the issue: there simply was not enough oxygen in the country! Now that Bathalapalli hospital has its own oxygen generator, this is less of a problem, but during the peak of the second wave, oxygen supplies were very hard to come by.

“The support that we got really made everything possible,” said Moncho, referring to VFF USA’s donors, who raised enough money for over 200 oxygen cylinders and other medical supplies.

“India’s plight touched the hearts of people around the world. It has been amazing,” Moncho remarked, “to see everyone coming together in the face of this crisis.”

A False Sense of Security

As stated by Moncho, the comparatively gentle first wave caused India to let its guard down prematurely. Last year, prior to the first wave, experts made grim predictions about the impact COVID-19 would have on India, but the total collapse of the healthcare system they predicted did not come with the first wave. This gave people a false sense of security, and left India unprepared for the second wave.

“This time I don’t think anyone’s really escaped,” said Moncho. “I don’t think there’s anyone in India who can say ‘I don’t know anyone that’s died in this pandemic.’ I don’t think it’s possible.” The second wave had a much wider and deadlier impact, reaching remote rural communities that were spared by the first wave.

Bracing for the Third Way: RDT Needs Your Help

Now India is bracing for the third wave. While there is no guarantee it will come, a slow vaccine roll-out has made a third wave much more likely.

In light of the devastation of the second wave, Moncho told the webinar participants that it is better not to take anything for granted. The Bathalapalli Hospital must be prepared for whatever comes next.

RDT is now working to address vaccine hesitancy through awareness campaigns. After the relatively mild first wave, many thought that they would be fine without the vaccine. Since the second wave, however, people have been eager for shots. According to Moncho, NGOs like RDT are uniquely positioned to overcome vaccine hesitancy thanks to their direct link to people.

Vaccines are not yet widely available. The Indian Central Government has said that vaccines will be available in August at the earliest.

RDT is also working to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic. The second lockdown was not as strict as the first, but families still suffered from the loss of livelihoods.

Many families also lost members—often breadwinners—to the virus. Still others were forced to spend their savings on private hospital bills or rack up large debts.

RDT is working to understand the scope and nature of the virus’s impact and determining how best to help those in need.

Whatever India faces next, RDT will be there to help.