COVID-19 Relief Supplies Shipped To India From Travis AFB

TRAVIS AFB (CBS13) - Life-saving COVID-19 relief supplies are on their way to India from our region.

A cargo jet took off from Travis Air Force Base Wednesday yesterday to help overwhelmed Indian hospitals. The U.S. Air Force C-5 Galaxy aircraft is packed with oxygen tanks, N-95 masks, and rapid test kits. The help couldn't come fast enough as India is in the thick of the world's worst COVID-19 outbreak.

Over 350,000 new cases were reported on Monday alone. With conditions worsening, the base had less than 24 hours' notice to pull off this delivery.

"If we all work together to contain this and help them control the disease in India, that will limit the impact to the rest of the globe," said Dan Murray, Public Health Emergency Officer, USAF 16th Air Mobility Wing. "When we have an epicenter with a lot of cases...those cases tend to expand in ripples around the planet. As long as we can help our partners we will all do better as a globe"

This is the first of several shipments from Northern California expected in the coming weeks.