US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster on Tuesday handed over the first lot of 100 ventilators from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to India at the headquarters of the Indian Red Cross in Delhi.

Describing the Covid-19 pandemic to have posed an unprecedented global threat to all, Juster said that a healthy future can only be ensured through “partnership and cooperation”.

Delhi: US Ambassador to India Ken Juster hands over the first lot of 100 ventilators from USAID (United States Agency for International Development) to India at the headquarters of the Indian Red Cross pic.twitter.com/3qLRE6VdYE

 “In the spirit of cooperation, the US government, through the Agency for International Development, is pleased to provide the Indian people with a donation of 200 ventilators and today. We are pleased to handover the first tranche of 100 ventilators to the Indian Red Cross,” he said.

The first lot of ventilators arrived on Monday from Chicago, US and are manufactured by Zoll US-based firm.

“On Monday, about 100 ventilators are arriving from the United States as a donation. Ventilators would come to India by Air India flight. This is entirely managed by the India Red Cross Society,” a senior government official told news agency ANI.

Last month, in a tweet, US President Trump had said, “I am proud to announce that the United States will donate ventilators to our friends in India. We stand with India and@narendramodi during this pandemic. We’re also cooperating on vaccine development. Together we will beat the invisible enemy!”

PM Modi thanked President Trump and tweeted, “In such times, it’s always important for nations to work together and do as much as possible to make our world healthier and free from Covid-19”.