USA to facilitate input distribution of Covin-19 vaccine.... From Kamala Harris to Prime Minister Modi

US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Thursday spoke to PM Narendra Modi to brief him about the Biden administration’s new vaccine policy that will clear supply chains for AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccine, helping boost production of Serum Institute of India’s Covishield.

The US also launched a vaccine sharing initiative where it would share 25 million doses with dozens of countries around the world, including India. The White House told journalists it would be lifting restrictions on export of components for AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines, which will help SII to substantially increase vaccine production.

"Spoke to @VP Kamala Harris a short while ago. I deeply appreciate the assurance of vaccine supplies to India as part of the US Strategy for Global Vaccine Sharing. I also thanked her for the all the support and solidarity from the US government, businesses and Indian diaspora,” PM Modi tweeted.

An official readout of the Modi-Harris conversation said Harris briefed Modi about “US plans to make vaccines against Covid-19 available to other countries, including India, under its ‘Strategy for Global Vaccine Sharing’. The leaders discussed ongoing efforts to strengthen the health supply chain between the US and India, including in the area of vaccine manufacturing. They highlighted the potential of the India-US partnership as well as the Quad vaccine initiative in addressing the long-term health impact of the pandemic”.

At a briefing, Jake Sullivan, the US NSA, said, “President made a commitment to ensure that India received doses and giving them an allocation not just under the regional portion of this through COVAX but an additional allocation from our discretionary portion...was something he wanted to do.” He said the US would share 80 million doses by the end of June, but that this is only the beginning of the US sharing vaccines with other countries without any pre-conditions.”

According to a fact-sheet issued by the US, approximately 7 million doses would be sent to India and several other Asian countries. So while India will get only a relatively small number of doses, of greater importance is the opening up of the supply chains for Indian manufacturers.

The White House announcement on Thursday came after US President Joe Biden announced his administration’s decision to distribute the first 25 million of 80 million AstraZeneca vaccines to a host of different countries around the world.

The US has used a 1950 Defence Production Act to priorities vaccine supplies for American manufacturers. Today’s decision will lift that restriction. “We’re moving the DPA priority ratings for AstraZeneca, Novavax and Sanofi vaccines. This action will allow US-based companies to supply these to vaccine manufactures to make their own decisions,” said the White House Covid response team.

The US decision will allow SII, which manufactures both the AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines, to swiftly increase production. India’s vaccine demand has become acute after a second surge of a mutant strain of the coronavirus took a heavy toll in the past seven weeks. Swift vaccination is seen to be the only way out of the pandemic.

Serum currently produces about 65 million vaccines a month, but with a liberalised supply chain, will aim to produce over 100 million a month.

The US decision will help India vaccinate its own population at a faster rate in the next few months when its own production is still accelerating. Many experts have said India would have to vaccinate close to 8 million a day to hope to get to a place where the majority of Indians are vaccinated, in order to put the virus in retreat.

Equally important is the fact that India, as the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers, will have to go back to exporting vaccines — that would be one of the key goals for the Biden Administration as well. Top US officials had indicated to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his recent visit to the US that they would help with the supplies, but that India had to resume its role as the vaccine manufacturer.

Spoke to @VP Kamala Harris a short while ago. I deeply appreciate the assurance of vaccine supplies to India as part of the US Strategy for Global Vaccine Sharing. I also thanked her for the all the support and solidarity from the US government, businesses and Indian diaspora.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 3, 2021