Lisbon, May 20 (IANS): The Directorate-General of Health (DGS) of Portugal has announced a donation of 5,500 units of antiviral drug Remdesivir to India, which is currently battling a devastating second wave of the Covid pandemic.

"India has requested the activation of the Emergency Response Coordination Center (ERCC) to deal with the serious pandemic situation that it has been experiencing, with Portugal expressing its willingness to contribute in solidarity," Xinhua news agency quoted the DGS as saying in a statement on Wednesday.

The ERCC is the heart of the European Union's (EU) Civil Protection Mechanism.

It coordinates the delivery of assistance to disaster-stricken countries, such as relief items, expertise, civil protection teams and specialised equipment.

Remdesivir has been authorised in the EU for treating COVID-19.

India's overall tally of Covid-19 cases currently stands at 25,772,440 with 287,122 deaths as of Thursday morning.

While the country's caseload is the second highest in the world after the US, the death toll is the third largest following the US and Brazil.