In touch with US companies for Covid vaccines: Govt

at 6:33 pm
Afghanistan
MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi

New Delhi (NVI) The government of India is in touch with US vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna as part of efforts to augment availability of Covid vaccines in the country.

This was stated today by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi who said the government is also in engaged with the US Administration to “ensure that necessary components and raw materials for vaccine production in India are readily available.

“Government of India has been making all efforts to augment availability of vaccines in India, whether through enhanced production in the country or through supply from abroad. We remain engaged with US vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna as part of this effort,” he said at a media briefing here.

Referring to the raw materials required for Covid vaccines, Bagchi said this issue was taken up most recently during the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to the USA.

“It is in our mutual interest to combat the global pandemic by expediting vaccination efforts,” he added.

Regarding the announcement by US President Joe Biden weeks back about making vaccines available to other countries, the spokesperson said, “We are awaiting further details.”

Biden had announced that the US would send 80 million doses of Covid vaccines to other countries by the end of June.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today that Biden will unveil, possibly by tomorrow, the details of the planned exports of Covid doses “without any political strings attached.”