New Delhi: The government of the United States (US) in its statement said that “It is ready to ship its Covid-19 vaccines to India after receiving permission from the New Delhi Government.”
The government of India told the US that “It needs further time to review legal provisions related to accepting vaccine donations.”
State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told media that “We are ready to ship those vaccines expeditiously when we have a green light from the Government of India,”
A few weeks back – The Biden Administration had announced to share 80 million covid-19 vaccine doses from its domestic stockpile with the countries around the world including India. The US vaccines have already landed in countries across the world, including Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
The US Government cannot share its vaccines, because the government of India has yet to clear the necessary legal hurdles for such an emergency import.
Ned Price further added that “Before we can ship those doses, however, each country must complete its own domestic set of operational, regulatory, and legal processes that are specific to each country. Now, India has determined that it needs further time to review legal provisions related to accepting vaccine donations.”
“More broadly in the region, throughout South Asia, we are donating millions of vaccines to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Roughly 40 million doses have been delivered worldwide so far,” he added.
On the Pharmaceutical sector of India, Ned Price said that “India’s pharmaceutical sector is strong and it is very well established. It has played a vital role in manufacturing vaccines for global use over some time. We are pleased that US pharmaceutical companies, in turn, are coordinating with their Indian counterparts since the beginning of the pandemic.”