To vaccinate people against the deadly COVID-19 infection, US’s top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said that India has got to “work out arrangements with countries and companies while ramping up your capabilities of making vaccines,”  quoted news agency ANI. 

In an interview with ANI, Anthony Fauci on Friday said, “You only have a couple of percentage of the people who are fully vaccinated and over about 10% or so that have at least one dose.”

While calling India one of “the best if not biggest vaccine producers” in the world, Fauci said, You have got to work out arrangements with other countries, other companies at the same time as ramping up your own capability of making vaccines,” quoted ANI.

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On extending the gap between the first and second dose of the Covishield vaccine, the infectious disease expert told ANI, “When there’ is vaccine shortage, extending duration …to get more people to get 1st dose is (a) reasonable approach.”

Fauci added that the extended gap would not be referred as a cover-up if the long delay would not have a negative effect on vaccine efficacy. 

“Rich countries and countries that have capability of making, distributing vaccines, have moral responsibility to assist countries that don’t have that capability, particularly low and middle-income countries, Fauci told ANI. 

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India is currently batting a lethal second wave of COVID-19 which is accompanied by the shortage of vaccines, health equipment, from medical oxygen to hospital beds. The second wave of coronavirus in India, as believed by scientists, has aggravated due to double mutant, B.1.617 variant of COVID-19 and it has now been detected in 44 countries.