The time to help India is NOW! (Covid related)

Of the 5 closest and dearest friends I have, 2 hail from the great country of India, including the godparent to my beautiful daughter (yes, that you Lalit and Vishal). Many of the smartest, most capable, and hardest working individuals I have ever met or come across, are Indian. This should not come as a surprise as just under 20% of the world's population is Indian, but still... Being a large population doesn't always guarantee success. For example, India does underperform on the global sporting stage. In the history of the Olympics, India has won a grand total of 9 gold medals and only 28 medals in all - the same total as Michael Phelps has won in his illustrious career. I digress however. Back to the point of this post, helping India in the face of this Covid crisis.

For the major part of 2020, the US was a global laughing stock with regards to its handling of the Covid pandemic. We led the world in cases with the famous statistic with only 4% of the world's population we managed to have 20-25% of the total cases/deaths. Thankfully over the past few months, things have taken a sharp turn for the better and we are now a global leader. Check out these 2 maps:

vaccinations per 100 people (dark blue is good)

cases by county (pale yellow is good)

India on the other hand is suffering quite badly. The number of cases and deaths has skyrocketed, and now India makes the worst days in the US and Europe seem like chump change in comparison. 

Here in the states we are quickly getting to a place where anyone who wants to get a vaccine will have done so, and stories are starting to emerge that we have an excess amount. Everyone over the age of 12 is now eligible. Good stuff. Unfortunately we are beginning to reach an impasse as those that are hesitant will most likely continue to stay away. States have even started bribing people to get the jab, with Ohio leading the way.

Looking back over history, the US is known and respected for many things (yes, I know it's hard to believe after the last 5 years or so, but it is true). One of the proudest achievements has to be helping others in times of crisis (WW II and post war reconstruction come to mind of course). The Covid situation in India could be a great opportunity to renew with that tradition and make amends for some of the ills caused by American global interventions of the recent past. India does provide the US with countless workers with amazing skills, many of whom are at the head of our leading companies. It also provides the world with back office capabilities and IT help that cannot be found at home. So why don't we take a few of our excess vaccines, ship them over to India, help administer them to as many people as possible, and not only help India, but help the world get over this disease which has wreaked havoc on each and every one of us over the past year and half?

Biden administration - your move...

P.S. I would like to say a big Thank You to all of my readers in India. You are the only country in the top 5 list of views of this blog where I have not lived in :)