The Indian Weekender, 30 April 2021

4 NEW ZEALAND
Friday, April 30, 2021 The Indian Weekender
How world responded
fight against second w
• Continued from Page 3
He tweeted, “We are working closely with our partners in
the Indian government, and we will rapidly deploy additional
support to the people of India and India’s health care heroes.”
Horne said in the readout, “Just as India sent assistance to
the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the
pandemic, the United States is determined to help India in its
time of need.”
After some physicians had said that hydroxychloroquine
(HCQ) could be a treatment for COVID-19, last April Trump
had personally asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lift his
ban on its exports and supply the drug to the US.
India sent about 50 million doses of HCQ to the US and
thanking Modi, Trump said, “We will remember it.”
Now the next president’s administration is remembering
it, even though the emergency use authorisation for HCQ’s in
hospital settings in the US was withdrawn and a huge cache of it
sits unused while Modi’s decision was crticised in India.
India has been sharing its vaccine production with countries
around the world, sending nearly 65 million doses to 86 countries.
Horne said, “Sullivan affirmed America’s solidarity with India,
the two countries with the greatest number of COVID-19 cases
in the world” and they both “resolved that India and the United
States will continue to fight the global COVID-19 pandemic
together.”
The readout, listing what India will receive, said, “The
United States has identified sources of specific raw material
urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield
vaccine that will immediately be made available for India.
To help treat COVID-19 patients and protect front-line health
workers in India, the United States has identified supplies of
therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators, and personal
protective equipment (PPE) that will immediately be made
available for India.”
The US is also deploying an expert team of public health
advisors from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and USAID
to work with the embassy in Delhi, India’s Health Ministry, and
India’s Epidemic Intelligence Service, the readout said.
USAID, which is the international assistance arm of the US,
“will also quickly work with CDC to support and fast-track the
mobilization of emergency resources available to India through
the Global Fund,” it said. The Global Fund is an international
collaboration to fight epidemics and serious diseases.
Looking ahead, the readout said, “The U.S. Development
Finance Corporation (DFC) is funding a substantial expansion
of manufacturing capability for BioE (Biological E), the
vaccine manufacturer in India, enabling BioE to ramp up to
produce at least one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines
by the end of 2022.”
Biological E, a Hyderabad-based company, is set to conduct
Phase 3 trials for a vaccine developed by Baylor University and
Dynavax Technologies Corporation in the US.
At the March summit of Quad, Biden and Modi, along with
Prime Ministers Yoshihide Suga of Japan and Scott Morrison
of Australia agreed on a joint plan to help other countries with
vaccines that would be made in India with US and Japanese
finance and distributed using Australian logistics.
Democratic members of the House of Representatives Raja
Krishnamoorthi and Ro Khanna asked Biden to open the spigot
on the excess vaccines for India, but from the readout of the
Sullivan-Doval meeting it did not appear that as yet there was an
agreement on the vaccines.
Krishnamoorthi pointed out that the US had about 40 million
doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is distributed in India
under the Covishield brand name, and had begun supplying some
of it to Canada and the US.
He said that he would “strongly call on the Biden
Administration to release millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses
to countries hardest-hit by the spread of COVID-19, including
India, Argentina, and potentially others.”
“I applaud the Biden Administration’s decision to put people
over profits,” Khanna said welcoming the decision to give India
the raw materials and other supplies, and added, “The Biden
Administration can still do more, like give India our stockpile of
AstraZeneca vaccines that won’t be used in the US.”
Biden’s chief adviser on the COVID-19 pandemic, Anthony
Fauci, said on a TV programme on Sunday that sending vaccines
to India was under consideration.
The first shipment of Covid medical supplies
from Britain to India, arrived early Tuesday.
UK to send ‘vital medical
equipment’ to India to
help fight COVID-19
More than 600 pieces of vital medical equipment will be
sent to India to support the country in its fight against
COVID-19, the British High Commission (BHC) announced.
A BHC release informed that the assistance package, funded by
the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, includes
ventilators and oxygen concentrators from surplus stocks. The
aid will be used by the Government of India (GOI) to provide
vital medical treatment to those suffering from COVID-19 in
India, the release said.
The UK Department of Health and Social Care has worked
closely with the National Health Service (NHS), as well as
suppliers and manufacturers in the UK to identify reserve lifesaving
equipment that can be sent to India.
India has this week reported its highest numbers of new daily
cases and deaths since the pandemic began and is facing severe
shortages of oxygen.
Following discussions with the GOI, the first shipment of
equipment will leave the UK today, arriving in New Delhi in the
early hours of Tuesday morning. Further shipments are due to
follow later this week, the BHC said.
“In total, nine airline container loads of supplies, including
495 oxygen concentrators, 120 non-invasive ventilators and 20
manual ventilators, will be sent to the country this week. This
equipment will be crucial in helping to save the lives of the most
vulnerable in India.
The oxygen concentrators, for example, can extract oxygen
from the air in the atmosphere so that it can be provided to
patients, taking the strain off hospital oxygen systems and
allowing oxygen to be provided in situations where hospital
oxygen supplies have run out,” the BHC release added.
The high commission said that the UK is working closely
with the GOI to identify further assistance it can provide in the
coming days.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “We stand side by side with
India as a friend and partner during what is a deeply concerning
time in the fight against COVID-19.”
“Vital medical equipment, including hundreds of oxygen
concentrators and ventilators, is now on its way from the UK to
India to support efforts to prevent the tragic loss of life from this
terrible virus,” he added.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “We have all got to
work together to tackle COVID-19. India is a very important
partner to us, so we are providing oxygen concentrators and
ventilators to help save the lives of the most vulnerable. We will
be following up on this first delivery with further support, based
on our ongoing discussions with the Indian Government.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has said: “The
heart-breaking scenes in India show once again how awful this
terrible disease is. We are determined to support the people of
India through this very difficult time, and I am hugely grateful
to those who have worked hard to make this initial delivery
happen.” (ANI)
Australia extends support
to India amid COVID-19
surge
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday
expressed his solidarity with the people of India amid the
record rise in COVID-19 infections in the country.
Morrison informed that he will keep working in partnership
with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this global challenge.
“Australia stands with our friends in India as it manages a
difficult second #COVID-19 wave. We know how strong and
resilient the Indian nation is. PM Narendra Modi and I will keep
working in partnership on this global challenge,” Australian PM
tweeted.
Leaders from around the world have extended support to
India as the second wave of the pandemic continues to affect the
country adversely.
India helped world during
COVID, now it’s time to
give back: German envoy
Noting that India has helped the world amid the COVID-19
by producing vaccines and medicines, German Ambassador to
India, Walter J Lindner on Wednesday said that now “we just
need to give back to our friends”.
India, known as the “pharmacy of the world,” has provided
millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines and other medical
assistance to countries around the world to help them fight the
pandemic. Lindner’s remark comes as several countries around
the world have come forward to help India as it continues to
struggle with the increase in its health infrastructure needs
caused by the rising coronavirus cases.
“India has helped the world and us during the COVID times
by producing vaccines and medicines, and now we just need to
give back to our friends,” German Ambassador told ANI in an
exclusive interview.