The Latest: Germany airlifts oxygen equipment to India

BERLIN — A German military cargo aircraft with a mobile oxygen production unit for India has departed from an airport in northern Germany to help Indian hospitals that are overwhelmed with coronavirus pandemic patients.

The plane will have a layover in Abu Dhabi and is expected to arrive in India on Thursday.

“We’re proud to contribute significantly with our airlift in the global fight against the coronavirus,” German air force Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz told German news agency dpa on Wednesday. ”Air transports are a routine for us but we all know that the fight against this pandemic is about human lives and that every single life counts.”

A team of 13 Germans arrived a few days ago in India already and will stay in the country for two weeks to train local members of the Red Cross in India on how to use the oxygen unit.

A second cargo plane is expected to leave Wunstorf air base on Thursday.

___

THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— India’s virus surge is damaging Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s carefully tailored image of competence

— U.S. birth rate fell 4% last year, the largest single-year decrease in nearly 50 years, with pandemic likely a factor

— Parents, educators hopeful for pending Pfizer authorization for 12-15 age group, key to smooth school reopenings

— Follow more of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

___

HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

LONDON — The U.K. is planning to bolster coronavirus testing capabilities at the Porton Down research facility in southern England in order to asses the...