Jha Washington: The United States has so far allocated only 7.5 million doses of COVID vaccines to India, which is not enough, a top Indian-American Congressman said, urging the Biden administration to do more. Congressman Raja Krishnamurthy said this after securing the support of 116 members of Congress on his ongoing effort to expand US global vaccine aid programs to India and other countries. His statement came on a day the White House said it was looking forward to continuing its partnership with India in the fight against the coronavirus and providing assistance, including vaccines.
I am once again urging President Biden and my colleagues in Congress to come together to end this pandemic for good and pass the NOVID Act into law, as long as the outbreak continues in any country As the whole world faces new threats, vaccine-resistant variants, Krishnamurthy said in a statement. As we approach Indian Independence Day, we need to declare our independence from COVID by forging the necessary global partnership to produce and distribute the billions of vaccines needed to end this pandemic, he said.
Meeting those goals will demand continued cooperation from the world’s major democracies and producers of these life-saving vaccines, Krishnamurthy said, including the United States and India. Under the NOVID Act, which was introduced by Congressmen Raja Krishnamurthy, Senators Jeff Merkle and Elizabeth Warren along with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, the US will establish the Pandemic Preparedness and Response Program (PanPReP) to oversee the global health response to the pandemic.
PanPReP will coordinate efforts between the Department of State, USAID, CDC, FDA, BARDA, the Health Resources and Services Administration, DOD, Peace Corps and the Department of Labor. The program will also be responsible for coordinating the US government’s response with international non-governmental organizations, development banks and civil society, as well as with foreign governments. Following a pandemic, the program will move to identify and prevent pandemic-potent pathogens before they spread uncontrollably by coordinating a global disease surveillance network to protect against future pandemics. The bill will authorize an expenditure of USD 34 billion to USD 25 billion to increase manufacturing capacity and produce 8 billion vaccine doses; USD8.5 billion to cover the cost of complete delivery of enough vaccines to immunize 60 percent of the population in 92 COVAX countries; and USD 500 million to set up a global disease surveillance network to prevent future pandemics.
Disclaimer: This post has been self-published from the agency feed without modification and has not been reviewed by an editor
read all Breaking Newshandjob breaking news And coronavirus news Here