US, India in talks over restarting coronavirus vaccine exports

Gulf Today Report

India will likely restart exporting COVID-19 vaccines as the United States is communicating regularly in bilateral and multilateral channels to discuss the supply of COVID-19 vaccines and inquire about its timeline for restarting vaccine exports.

A senior Biden administration official said, the global pandemic will be a key topic on Sept. 24, when US President Joe Biden will host the first in-person summit of leaders of the "Quad" countries — Australia, India, Japan and the United States.

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The visit by Prime Ministers Scott Morrison, Narendra Modi and Yoshihide Suga to the United States will coincide with the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which Biden will address on Sept. 21.

The Quad leaders met virtually in March and agreed to work closely on COVID-19 vaccines, but the initiative stalled after India, the world's largest vaccine producer, was hit by a catastrophic wave of infections, and halted vaccine exports.

US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier, chairman of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization in India N.K. Arora said in an interview with Bloomberg Television that “Almost 60 countries are hardly having any access to vaccine and India should be able to provide a substantial portion in 2022,”

“As soon as we are through with our adult population we should have sufficient vaccine to share with the rest of the world.”

A staff member displays a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"We commend India for being one of the largest manufacturers for safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines globally, and we note that COVAX and the world rely heavily on India's contributions," the official said. "It's important for the United States to engage all our allies and partners on these matters so we can take the necessary actions to end this pandemic together."