Dec, 2022 – Latest updates  | Stories from the ground

AID Covid Response Report (2022)

June 30, 2021 – Latest updates  | Stories from the ground

AID has supported 48 partner organizations in 17 states to tackle the Covid-19 second wave in India, disbursing over $2.6M. Find more details in this mid-year update report.

June 1, 2021 

• AID has sent $1.5M to partners in India for COVID relief work following the second wave, and is working on supporting several more initiatives.  Our support is helping underserved communities identify COVID symptoms, prevent spread, access care and treatment, benefit from medical equipment including oxygen concentrators/cylinders, oximeters, thermometers and protective gear, access vaccination, survive lockdowns, regain livelihoods and strengthen hospitals and NGOs that serve rural and low-income communities.
• Vaccination being the only solution, here are the first pictures of vaccination drive organized by AID-India in Tamilnadu yesterday.
• COVID relief links for May 17-30.

May 19, 2021

• AID sent support to Bhoomika for 100 Bipap machines to hospitals.
• AID is working with its partners on Ambulance, infrastructure and PPE support for a tribal (adivasi) region in Gujarat.
• Approved support for creating a mobile app for providing information to JSS hospital in rural Chattisgarh.
• Further support for food grains to needy COVID affected and livelihood impacted families.

May 13, 2021

• AID extends support to the COVID care center run by JSS and to village health workers serving the adivasi (indigenous/tribal) population in Chattisgarh.
• AID supports the running of one COVID care centre in rural West Bengal by Liver foundation.
  Equipment support for converting secondary care hospital of THI into a COVID care center in rural Tamilnadu.
  AID further supports PSA who with the IIT-Kanpur alumni are providing oxygen and other equipment to needy hospitals in Delhi and other impacted places in India.
  Food support to trans community members impacted by loss of livelihood, awareness creation through miking,  and oximeter and PPE support for the community (LINK).

May 10, 2021

• AID-India has equipped its field workers in 350 villages in 12 districts of Tamilnadu with thermal scanners, oximeters, medicines, and protective resources.  We are planning to have an intensive program in 500 villages of identifying COVID cases, providing support, tracking deaths, and mobilizing vaccinations.
• AID is sending today oxygen concentrators to Hyderabad to be used by smaller health centers/providers.

May 8, 2021

• AID is working with Mukti to set up 5 COVID care centers in Sunderbans, West Bengal
• We had a zoom call with community nutrition workers who are mobilizing people for vaccinations from different districts in Bihar.  About 90 people from JEEVIKA, including 50 community workers from different panchayats, joined the call and had a discussion with us on the extent of COVID and deaths in some villages, status of village health services and vaccination program, and reasons for hesitancy in some villages.  The US doctors who are volunteering for AID gave some very convincing responses, and we will be disseminating resources in hindi for greater awareness and to build the capacity of the community nutrition workers.

May 7, 2021

• AID is working with Janpath to equip Mankadi govt hospital in a tribal village in Gujarat with an oxygen pipeline to convert it to a COVID hospital, procure oxygen concentrators, oximeters, and portable HB testing equipment.
• The pilot zoom call we had with COVID patients (from Bihar’s livelihood program JEEVIKA) and US doctors went very well and a second call will be held in a couple of days.  A pilot call is also underway with 50 community nutrition workers to understand the situation in villages and build their capacity on COVID symptoms, home care, mobilization for vaccination, and social distancing.

May 5, 2021

• AID has sent non-invasive ventilators from the US to 2 Mumbai hospitals so that they can be tested for appropriateness and usage in local conditions.  This is an initial sample to see their effectiveness in the current crisis.
• AID has sent funds for the provision of groceries to the marginalized communities facing loss in their daily work in Gujarat (partnering with Kadam) and in West Bengal (partnering with Swanirvar).
• AID has sent support to extend the help desks in rural hospitals to 20 blocks of Maharashtra and for 3 months.  These help desks and helplines ensure that rural patients from villages in Maharashtra can get proper guidance and treatment at government hospitals.

May 4, 2021

• AID is reaching 1200 villages in 15 districts of Tamil Nadu with grocery support to COVID positive families (50 villages underway and scaling up), screening, and protective gear. See Dr Balaji Sampath’s note and pics from AID-India
• AID is sending funds to support a dedicated call center that the Society For Community Health Awareness, Research And Action (SOCHARA) will use to set up and run a helpline accessible across India.  Doctors and volunteers from medical colleges will help people with logistical support and treatment if enrolled at early stages.  They will also help people dealing with grief and confusion.

May 3, 2021

• AID is sending oximeters and thermometers to Rasoolpura near Hyderabad.  A doctor from the US has been helping people in Rasoolpura with health services led by a local group while connecting with village health workers (ASHA workers).
• AID organized a call with grassrooots partners from several states of India on COVID awareness, prevention and vaccines.
•  JEEVIKA, a rural livelihoods initiative of the Bihar govt, reached out to AID. There have been a high number of COVID cases and several deaths among their 10000 or so staff and a million rural women they work with. There is a severe dearth of health facilities and doctors.  AID volunteers along with 3 doctors from the US had an exploratory call with the JEEVIKA people.  It was decided to have two pilot initiatives immediately  (a) for JEEVIKA staff with COVID to have consultations with a US doctors panel we put together.  (b)  An initiative for training and spreading awareness on COVID and vaccinations among the community nutrition workers of JEEVIKA in different villages. We also requested Jeevika a budget from state govt.  for thermometers and oximeters to the village community workers.

April 30 2021

•  Responding to the emergency in Delhi, AID is sending support for the purchase of oxygen concentrators being organized by IIT-K alumni and oximeters and medical supply to the underprivileged (partnering with Program for Social Action (PSA)). Volunteers are also figuring out how to make use of offers of health equipment from the US — from non-invasive ventilators priced at $150-600 for mild to moderate cases that don’t need intubation to PPE kits or protective clothing at scales of 100,000. We are having zoom calls with parties in the US and health activists in India to see the utility of these donations/sales and how to facilitate the transfer if they are appropriate.
• In rural Maharashtra our partner SATHI is running helpdesks as they see a surge of COVID cases. A dysfunctional primary health center was restarted in Ambegaon (Taleghar PHC and sub-center) and Akole rural hospital was granted an ambulance after SATHI’s efforts. Discussions are underway to increase the helpdesks from 10 rural district hospitals. And having vaccine drives as there is vaccine hesitancy and reluctance to testing due to fear of loss of work because of the stigma. Health activists from India and volunteers/doctors in the US have been exploring avenues for tele-medicine.
• AID-India in Tamilnadu is creating material on COVID home care for patients with milder symptoms emphasizing things like prone position and responding to some of the fear and anxiety that is in rural areas.