India remains engaged with US for vaccines, Joe Biden assures to support COVAX

"We remain engaged with US vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna as part of this effort," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

"We are also engaged with the US Administration to ensure that necessary components and raw materials for vaccine production in India are readily available," he said.

This issue was taken up most recently during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to the US.

"It is in our mutual interest to combat the global pandemic by expediting vaccination efforts," Srivastava said.

"As regards the US Government announcement of making available vaccines to other countries, we are awaiting further details," he said.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden also assured to provide the world with vaccines and has committed $4 billion to support COVAX.

"As the United States continues our efforts to get every eligible American vaccinated and fight COVID-19 here at home, we also recognize that ending this pandemic means ending it everywhere. As long as this pandemic is raging anywhere in the world, the American people will still be vulnerable," Biden said in his remarks.

"And the United States is committed to bringing the same urgency to international vaccination efforts that we have demonstrated at home," he said.

"Already the United States has committed $4 billion to support COVAX, and we have launched partnerships to boost global capacity to manufacture more vaccines," Biden said.

"My administration supports efforts to temporarily waive intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines because, over time, we need more companies producing life-saving doses of proven vaccines that are shared equitably. We have already shared more than 4 million doses of vaccine with Canada and Mexico, and last month, I announced that, by the end of June, the United States will share 80 million doses of our vaccine supply with the world," he said.

The United States At least 75 per cent of these doses, nearly 19 million, will be shared through COVAX, including approximately 6 million doses for Latin America and the Caribbean, approximately 7 million for South and Southeast Asia, and approximately 5 million for Africa, working in coordination with the African Union and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The remaining doses, just over 6 million, will be shared directly with countries experiencing surges, those in crisis, and other partners and neighbours, including Canada, Mexico, India, and the Republic of Korea, he said.

"We are sharing these doses not to secure favours or extract concessions. We are sharing these vaccines to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic, with the power of our example and with our values. And we will continue to follow the science and to work in close cooperation with our democratic partners to coordinate a multilateral effort, including through the G7," Biden said.