Suniel Shetty joins initiative to provide free oxygen concentrators

Bollywood star Suniel Shetty on Wednesday became the latest celebrity to extend help and support to all those in need during the COVID-19 crisis.

Joining an initiative to provide free oxygen concentrators, the actor took to his Twitter handle and announced, "We are going through some testing times, but a ray of hope in this is the way our people have joined hands to help each other."

In a subsequent tweet, he also urged his followers to seek help, "This is an appeal to all my friends and fans. DM me if you need help, if you know someone who needs help, or if you want to contribute and be a part of this mission. Please amplify this as much as you can and help us help them."

Speaking about joining the cause Suniel said, "It's about giving back, about doing something constructive. This is a beautiful initiative, thought of Feed My City and KVN Foundation. Somewhere down the line, you feel blessed that you're being given this opportunity to make a difference and it's a need of the hour.

He further continued, "I think each one of us in whatever little way we can, need to come forward. This took a while because it's always about putting your mind into something before you step out and do anything. It has to make a difference and I think it's as simple as that."

Requesting people to join hands for the cause he added, "I request to help spread the word for anybody who needs help and anybody who can afford to contribute in whatever little way they can because it will go a long way."

Recently, Twinkle Khanna and Akshay Kumar donated 100 oxygen concentrators, doing their bit in the fight against COVID-19.

Apart from them, Ayushmann Khurrana and his wife Tahira Kashyap came forward to contribute to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's Relief Fund to help aid people crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

Salman Khan also came forward and restarted his food trucks to distribute food packets among the frontline workers in Mumbai.

Amid the surge in cases, many stars like Katrina Kaif, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Mira Rajput, Bhumi Pednekar, among others have been using social media to amplify the voices of those in need.

The second wave of coronavirus has infected many people, and the number of COVID-19 positive cases has been rapidly rising.

India reported over 3.60 lakh fresh COVID-19 cases and close to 3,300 related deaths in the last 24 hours, its biggest single-day hike since the onset of the pandemic.

A total of 3,60,960 new COVID-19 cases, 3,293 related deaths, and 2,61,162 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total active cases to 29,78,709, as per the health ministry update on Wednesday.

The total count of cases now stands at 1,79,97,267 whereas the death toll has soared up to 2,01,187. A total of 1,48,17,371 people have recovered so far from the disease.

( With inputs from ANI )