Biden administration announced to provide the raw material for the production of coronavirus vaccine to medical aid in India.
The US said on Wednesday that the vaccine components made available to India this week will enable the manufacture of 20 million doses of Covishield vaccine, while the sixth shipment of US medical aid had come as the Biden administration’s assistance to the country’s response due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. The United States also sent a separate shipment of Remdesivir injections of more than 81,000 vials which were delivered in Mumbai.
As India is going through the record-breaking wave of coronavirus infection, the European Union (EU) announced an initial amount of Euro 2.2 million funding to control the spread of the coronavirus in the country as per the World Health Organization’s (WHO) measure.
The group of 27 countries stated that the funds announced by the European Commission are in addition to the medical aid being provided to India by the member countries of the European Union. “Today, the Commission has announced that it will allocate an initial Euro 2.2 million in emergency funds to respond to the surge in COVID-19 cases in India,” the European Union said.
“The funding will support the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen six months of case management of COVID-19 patients as well as laboratory capacity for COVID-19 testing,” it said. In line with its declaration to support India in its fight against the epidemic, the US Wednesday delivered its sixth shipment of aid.
“American people continue to provide life-saving assistance to India with the 6th flight of emergency relief in 6 days! This shipment includes a climate-friendly oxygen production unit that can convert air to oxygen. People in California Thank You for!” The US Embassy said in a tweet.
The Covishield vaccine is manufactured in India by the Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune, Maharashtra. Last month, SII CEO Adar Poonawala appealed to US President Joe Biden to lift the ban on exporting raw materials needed to manufacture vaccines.
Foreign Ministry (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that over 81,000 consignments of Remdesivir from the US reached Mumbai on Wednesday morning. “Admire the shipment of more than 81000 vials of Remedisvir from the US to Mumbai this morning, furthering the strategic partnership between India and the United States,” he said.
Meanwhile, Israel on Wednesday delivered its first consignment of medical supplies containing oxygen concentrations in India. The consignment was brought to the country on a special flight. The Israeli embassy said such flights would bring emergency medical aid, including thousands of group and individual oxygen generators, respirators, medicines, and additional medical equipment.