Washington: A senior Biden administration official said, in bilateral and multilateral channels, the United States is communicating regularly with India to discuss the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and inquire about its timeline for restarting vaccine exports.
It is reported that while hosting the first in-person summit of leaders of the “Quad” countries – Australia, India, Japan and the United States on Sept 24, U.S. President Joe Biden would prioritize discussion on the global pandemic.
The visit by Prime Ministers Scott Morrison, Narendra Modi and Yoshihide Suga to the United States will unite with the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which Biden will address on Sept. 21. In March, the Quad leaders met virtually and agreed to work closely on COVID-19 vaccines, but the initiative stalled after India, the world’s largest vaccine producer, was hit by a catastrophic wave of infections, and halted vaccine exports.
In April, for vaccine production, Washington had diverted its own supply of raw materials to India, given its urgent needs, and global vaccine supply remained a key bottleneck to ending the pandemic. The official said, “We commend India for being one of the largest manufacturers for safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines globally, and we note that COVAX and the world rely heavily on India’s contributions. It’s important for the United States to engage all our allies and partners on these matters so we can take the necessary actions to end this pandemic together.”