Kamala Harris calls Narendra Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday spoke to the United States Vice President Kamala Harris and expressed his appreciation for the assurance of Covid vaccine supplies to India as part of the US Strategy for Global Vaccine Sharing.

“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 all the support and solidarity from the US government, businesses and Indian diaspora,” Modi tweeted.

During the call, Kamala Harris conveyed that the United States will begin sharing vaccines with India, along with other countries by end of June. The two leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to strengthen the health supply chain between the US and India, including in the area of vaccine manufacturing, a statement from Prime Minister’s Office said.

“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,” PMO statement said.

During the phone call, PM Modi also said that he hopes to welcome Harris in India once the global health situation normalises.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden laid out the plan to share some 25 million of a planned 80 million Covid-19 vaccine doses with the rest of the world, including India.

In a statement, President Biden provided details on how the US will allocate the first 25 million of the vaccines to lay the ground for increased global coverage and to address real and potential surges, high burdens of disease, and the needs of the most vulnerable countries.

“At least 75 percent of these doses – nearly 19 million- will be shared through COVAX, including approximately 6 million doses for Latin America and the Caribbean, approximately 7 million for South and Southeast Asia, and approximately 5 million for Africa,” Biden said.

“The remaining doses, just over 6 million, will be shared directly with countries experiencing surges, those in crisis, and other partners and neighbours, including Canada, Mexico, India, and the Republic of Korea,” he said.

Earlier, the US had said that it was closely monitoring India’s Covid challenge and that it would “respond positively to any Indian requirement”. The assurance by the US had come during the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Washington where he met Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week.