Working ‘non-stop’ to provide COVID-related aid to India: US
- "We are working non-stop across the government to do all we can to deliver on an urgent basis": The US
- The US will also provide raw materials required for the manufacture of the Covishield vaccine: US
- The US is also deploying an expert team of public health advisers from the CDC
Soon after US President Joe Biden said that he talked to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and promised “full” support to India in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Department said that the administration is working ‘non-stop’ to do all it can to deliver supplies on an urgent basis.
Currently, India is witnessing a lethal second wave of COVID-19 as the nation is registering around 350,000 cases daily for the past few days. The death toll from COVID-19 in India is now nearing 200,000. India is also starting vaccination of all aged above 18 from May 1, a step in which the nation is expected to need huge stocks.
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During his daily news conference, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Monday said the current situation in India is of a great concern to the United States. He added, “We are working nonstop across the government to do all we can to deliver on an urgent basis the supplies most needed within India, and that includes oxygen assistance and related materials, but it also includes supplies for therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, personal protective equipment, or PPE, all supplies to protect India’s frontline healthcare workers.”
The US will also be assisting India with raw materials urgently required for the manufacture of the Covishield vaccine, Ned Price said.
The US is also deploying an expert team of public health advisers from the CDC to work in close collaboration with the US embassy on the ground, India’s health ministries and its epidemic intelligence staff.
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“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the United States has provided nearly $19 million in total assistance, and that includes nearly $11 million and health assistance to help India so the spread of COVID-19,” Price said.
The CDC has also committed $ 3.6 million to assist the government of India’s response to the epidemic.
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