NJ's opportunity to step up and help India

Indian-Americans are among the fastest growing population in our state. In 2019, Asian-Americans overall had grown to 10% of the population with the largest percentage representing nearly 400,000 people from India.

As you've heard in the news and on my show, they are experiencing a health crisis with a second wave of COVID. The problem is the great disparity in wealth and access to health care. This medical crisis was happening before COVID was on the scene as India struggles with among the highest rates of cardiovascular deaths in the world.

Now with the failure of lockdowns and mask mandates to do anything to stop the spread, new variants, which have been mutating since the pandemic began, are taking a toll on older, compromised Indian residents. Sadly, too many people are desperate to keep the fear and panic going to justify the failed policies of masks, isolation and lockdowns.

On the other side, it's not necessary to politicize the crisis in India. We already know that the world reaction to COVID made it worse. Now is the time to rise up and help people.

The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with a population of 50 million people (as of ten years ago) is among the hardest hit. 90% of the residents speak Telugu and it's estimated that there are approximately 100,000 people in central NJ who have ties to the state.

One of the largest organizations representing and advocating for this group is Tana. The new president of the group Niranjan Srungavarapu joined me on air to discuss the crisis and his efforts to raise funds to purchase medical equipment for the distressed area.

If you would like to help the effort to get medical equipment to those in need, click HERE.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.

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