US steps up support for India devastated by coronavirus pandemic

USA will send “immediately” to India, which faces a wave of infections of covid-19, material for the manufacture of vaccines, as well as therapies, tests, ventilators and protective equipment, the White House reported on Sunday.

“USA has identified sources of specific raw material urgently required for the manufacture of Covishield vaccine that will be made available immediately a available India”Said a statement from the White House.

Washington has also “identified therapeutic supplies, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators and personal protective equipment that will be put on immediately a available India“Said the statement from the spokeswoman for the National Security Council, Emily Horne.

The Joe Biden government is already funding “substantially” the vaccine production capacity of India so the country can produce 1 billion doses of serum by the end of 2022, the White House adviser said.

“As well as India provided assistance a USA when our hospitals were overwhelmed at the beginning of the pandemic, USA it is already decided a to help a India when you need it, ”Sullivan said.

The announcement comes after numerous countries and the European Union pledged on Sunday a provide emergency assistance a India, which on Sunday recorded nearly 350,000 cases and 2,767 additional deaths in the last 24 hours.

France, in particular, promised “a support for significant increase in oxygen capacity ”and the United Kingdom, more than 600 emergency medical equipment, including respirators.

What about vaccines?

USA did not mention shipping a India of some surplus vaccines from AstraZeneca, after the chief adviser of USA on pandemicAnthony Fauci said Sunday that that possibility would be considered.

“We must do more” to help a Indiahe said, and explained that USA he was studying how to “provide vaccines, immediately” but also how to allow the Indians to “produce their own vaccines”.

Washington implemented under Donald Trump an executive order, the Defense Production Act, according to which Americans have priority over vaccines manufactured in their country, de facto restricting exports.

“USA is first engaged in an ambitious and effective campaign to vaccinate a all Americans, “the spokesman for US diplomacy, Ned Price, had also underlined this Thursday.

India, which has 1,300 million inhabitants and where a new variant abounds, sees how its health system cracks under the avalanche of patients, who face a the lack of hospital beds, oxygen reserves and medicines.

The world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, the Serum Institute (SII), based on India, had alerted a mid-April on its restricted access a certain US components required for mass manufacturing of new serums.

“Dear President Biden, if we are truly united in the fight against this virus, on behalf of non-US vaccine manufacturers I humbly ask you to lift the embargo. a exports of raw materials ”, pleaded on Twitter Adar Poonawalla, director of the SII.