USD 500 Million Covid Relief to India so far: White House

TNI Bureau: The United States has already provided India more than $500 million in COVID-19 support, according to the White House, which added that it will soon decide on how to distribute the 80 million vaccinations to other nations. The USA is one of 40 nations that have offered India aid in fighting a deadly second wave of diseases that is generating an unprecedented increase in daily infections and daily death tolls.

In a virtual news conference call with members of the White House Foreign Press Group, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “To date, the United States has provided over $500 million in COVID relief to India, including contributions from the United States federal and state governments, American companies, and organizations, and private citizens.”

She said that the Biden administration is currently seeking to expand that support to other South Asian nations affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. “We’ve sent seven air shipments with medical supplies, oxygen, oxygen supplies, 95 masks, rapid diagnostic tests, and medicine.”, according to her.

In response to a query, Ms. Psaki stated, “In terms of the 80 million doses, we know there’s a great deal of interest in this understandably 60 million of AstraZeneca and 20 million of three other approved vaccines. Right now, it is working through an interagency process.”

According to Ms. Psaki, “Certainly, the plight of everything the people of India had been through is obviously on our minds but there are also a range of countries and regions around the world that have been deeply impacted that are also in need. So, these are all factors. Hopefully we’ll have more on this in the coming days.”

The interagency team, which includes National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and State Department representatives, is debating how the US would distribute and share these vaccination doses.