Washington DC: The US considers India an extremely important partner in the region and around the world, according to the White House, emphasizing that the two countries cooperate on a range of issues, including economics, strategy and security.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the US has taken several initiatives to assist India in dealing with the outbreak of Kovid-19.
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As India was in the early stages of handling the surge in coronavirus cases, the United States took several measures to support and guide them, Saki said in response to a question during a daily news conference. He also said that the US will continue to do so in the future.
With around 3,00,000 new cases per day in April and May, India was fighting an uphill battle against the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The country’s health infrastructure was finding it difficult to cope with the increasing demand for medical oxygen and beds in hospitals. Cases were rising daily when, in mid-May, India recorded a daily high of 4,12,262 new infections.
It was then that US President Joe Biden announced USD 100 million COVID-19 aid to India.
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Over USD 1.2 million has been raised by the US-India Chambers of Commerce Foundation in support of coronavirus research in India. According to a press statement released on June 3, the foundation has shipped or is on route for record-breaking funding, about 120 ventilators and over 1,000 oxygen concentrators.
India will be a major beneficiary in the US administration’s commitment to deliver 25 million COVID-19 doses to 2 countries around the world. Both the identified clusters – direct supplies to neighbors and partner countries, and the Kovavax initiative – include India.
US Vice President Kamala Harris called Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally on June 4 to apprise him of the administration’s plan.
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