US under pressure to help India tackle surging second wave of COVID-19 infections

The Biden administration has come under intense pressure from the US Chambers of Commerce, lawmakers and eminent Indian-Americans, to ship AstraZeneca and other COVID-19 vaccines along with life-saving medical supplies to India to help tackle the second wave of coronavirus infections.

Myron Brilliante, executive vice-president and head of international affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce, said as the COVID pandemic inflicts a heavy toll on countries around the globe, the US Chamber strongly encourages the administration to release the millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses in storage, as well as other life-saving support, for shipment to India, Brazil and other nations hard-hit by the pandemic.

He said these vaccine doses will not be needed in the United States, where its estimated that vaccine manufacturers will be able to produce enough doses by early June to inoculate every American. “This move would affirm US leadership, including in initiatives such as COVAX, and as we work with partners around the globe because no one is safe from the pandemic until we are all safe from it,” Brilliante said.

The US Chambers issued the statement after Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar sought global help in fight against COVID-19. “Will strive to ensure that our supply chains are as smooth as possible in a difficult global situation. The world must support India, as India helps the world,” he said in a tweet.

US State Department Deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter told reporters that the US continues to work closely with India to facilitate the movement of essential supplies and also address the bottlenecks of the supply chains. “The COVID-19 situation in India is a global concern,” she said. “We also continue to collaborate with our partners in India to battle this at the highest level. We know Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke to his counterpart on Tuesday and we remain deeply engaged with India at all levels as we work to combat this crisis of the pandemic together.”

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Rashida Talib, Congresswoman, tweeted that the COVID-19 crisis in India is a harsh reminder that the pandemic is not over until the whole world is safe. “President Biden must support a patent waiver to ramp up global production now,” she said.