Microsoft delivers oxygen, ventilators, and more to support India's COVID-19 response

India is currently battling a second wave of COVID-19 that has taken a toll on the country's healthcare infrastructure. With over 400,000 new cases every day, India has become a hotspot for the second wave of coronavirus.

Today, Microsoft announced that the company is stepping in to help India fight the battle with coronavirus. In a blog post, Kate Behncken, Vice President and Lead of Microsoft Philanthropies shared some of the ways in which Microsoft is helping India with essential supplies and tech support. Microsoft also took this opportunity to announce Global Task Force on Pandemic Response. The task force includes Microsoft and a couple of other companies that will be assisting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable. The Redmond giant notes that it will be focusing on India at the moment but plans to provide support to other countries as well.

As a part of the response, Microsoft has acquired 1,000 ventilators for hospitals in India. The company is also working with the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum to provide over 250,000 oxygen concentration devices to hospitals in India. Along with medical supplies, Microsoft has also raised over $3 million through Microsoft's employee giving program. These funds will be given to organisations working in India and include Oxfam India and UNICEF.

Lastly, Microsoft is also providing technological support to Indian government. The company is giving free access to Microsoft Teams to both commercial and government organisation. In addition to this, Microsoft has also activated the Microsoft Disaster Response Team and is coordinating with both government agencies and first responders to provide technological support.

Microsoft notes that this aid builds on the work it did last year that provided humanitarian aid, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), high-performance testing equipment including a mobile testing bus, and research support. The company is also working on solving the food insecurity problem caused by the disruption of livelihood.