WASHINGTON: The United States is working with India on developing a vaccine for COVID-19, President Donald Trump said on Friday, praising Indian-Americans as "great" scientists and researchers.
Addressing media, Trump said he is hopeful a COVID-19 vaccine would be available by the end of the year, and announced he was appointing a former pharmaceutical executive to spearhead the effort.
"I just got back a short while ago from India recently and we are working very much with India and we have a tremendous Indian population in the US and many of the people that you are talking about are working on the vaccine too. Great scientist and researchers," he told reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House as he unveiled a massive effort to speed track the development of coronavirus vaccine before year end.
"Yes. We are working very closely also with India," Trump said responding to a question.
He described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a "very good friend" of him.
"India has been so great and as you know your Prime Minister has been a very good friend of mine," Trump said.