NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said it was engaged with entities in the US for the procurement and subsequent manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines. New Delhi’s reaction came after US President Joe Biden announced that his country will distribute 80 million doses of vaccine to nations in need.
“We remain engaged with US entities on prospects of procuring vaccines from the US and perhaps, also manufacturing them in India subsequently. This will boost vaccine availability once the process is complete,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
The US has announced that it will distribute 80 million vaccines including 60 million of the AstraZeneca and 20 million doses of Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson. It is not yet clear how much India’s share would be. Bagchi said New Delhi has noted the recent announcement of the Biden administration. On the regulations that the vaccines given to India would have clear, he said all vaccines procured from abroad will have to be in line with India’s regulatory guidelines.
EAM: Pandemic must not be treated as one-off episode
EAM S Jaishankar the pandemic may be the most serious in living memory and should not as a one-off episode. “India, Japan and Australia are working on a supply chain resilience initiative and called for strengthening and de-risking the global economy through effective partnerships,” Jaishankar said during his online address at the Future of Asia conference. He said the answer to the pandemic is to expand global flows while creating confidence that benefits are beneficial for the entire world.