The International Response To India's Huge Covid Crisis
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India is administering an average of about 2.6 million doses per day, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. At that pace, it'll take an estimated two years to cover 75% of its population.
The U.S. will send India raw materials for vaccines and step up financing aid for Covid-19 shot production, joining European countries in pledging help to stem the world's biggest surge in cases. Our hearts go out to the Indian people in the midst of the horrific COVID-19 outbreak. We are working closely with our partners in the Indian government, and we will rapidly deploy additional support to the people of India and India's health care heroes. Material needed to produce Covishield, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made in India, has been identified and "will immediately be made available," Emily Horne, a spokesperson for U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, said in a statement released by the White House. Sullivan spoke by phone Sunday with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, according to the statement, and the pair agreed to stay in close touch. Additionally, the U.S. Development Finance Corporation will fund an expansion of production capability by Indian vaccine maker Biological E Ltd., or BioE, to at least 1 billion doses by the end of 2022. Ventilators, therapeutics, rapid-test kits and personal protective equipment will be sent as well, according to the statement.More Related News