Dalai Lama expresses concern as the world reels under COVID-19, offers prayer for the pandemic to end soon
DHARAMSALA, 27 April: The Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has expressed his “concern” over the “continuing challenge” the COVID-19 poses as the world reels under the pandemic.
“I have been following the continuing challenge that the Covid-19 pandemic has been posing across the world, including in India, with concern,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement on the official website dalailama.com.
As a mark of solidarity with the people of India, the Tibetan Nobel Laureate has offered a donation from the Dalai Lama Trust towards the PM-CARES Fund.
“At this critical time, during this alarming Covid-19 surge, I have asked the Dalai Lama Trust to make a donation to the PM-CARES Fund as a token of our solidarity with fellow Indian brothers and sisters.”
The Tibetan Nobel Laureate has further expressed his appreciation for the efforts underway and offered his prayer for the pandemic to end soon.
“May I take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation for all the efforts that are being made to tackle this devastating pandemic, especially by those courageously working on the frontline. I pray that the pandemic threat will end soon.”
Earlier today, the octogenarian Tibetan leader received his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at his residence here in Mcleod Ganj.
While the Dalai Lama visited Zonal Hospital, a government hospital in lower Dharamshala to receive his first jab on 6 March, a team from Delek Hospital, led by Dr Tseten Dorjee Sadutsang his personal allopathic physician has administered him with the second dose at his residence today in the morning according to a report on CTA’s webpage.
With cases spiking at an alarming rate in India as it is overwhelmed by the second wave of COVID-19, India has 17,636,307 coronavirus positive active cases while 197,894 people have died due to the infection so far according to the WHO.
The tally of the exiled Tibetans in India, Nepal and Bhutan compiled by the Central Tibetan Administration’s Covid- 19 Task Force according to its latest weekly briefing on Thursday reported 2,097 positive cases to date out of which 1,692 have recovered while 50 people have succumbed with 355 active cases.
Since its outbreak from Wuhan in late 2019, the pandemic has infected 147,925,414 people and killed 3,122,315 people globally according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
