After a chat between the NSAs of India and US, the US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment, to help the country combat the deadly coronavirus crisis. India has been witnessing more than 300,000 daily cases of infection for the fifth straight day.  Many observed that the decision from Biden and Harris came after they were slammed across the social, political, and business spectrum for perceived indifference to India’s situation of the pandemic.

Joe Biden said in a tweet, “Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need.”

The US President was spending his weekend at his home in Delaware but is believed to be following up the developments in India.

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a tweet, “The US is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming COVID-19 outbreak. As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of India -including its courageous healthcare workers.”

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In February, the United States had invoked the Defense Production Act, which gives the power to control the distribution of products, to curb the export of raw materials critical for vaccine production.

India’s EAM had raised the matter with secretary of state Antony Blinken when they spoke on April 19. The same was also taken up in Washington by Indian envoy Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

However, the US defended the curbs saying that the Biden Administration’s priority is to meet the vaccine requirements of the American people.

At that time, US state department spokesperson Ned Price had pointed to arrangements between the US and the members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad on vaccine production, including increasing production capacity in India, but did not say whether or when the US would ease curbs on export of vaccine raw materials.

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American pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc., in November last year had cut short its vaccine production target by half, citing a shortage of raw material. Pfizer, which is producing mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, had earlier planned to roll out over 1.2 billion shots in 2021 but reduced the target by half due to raw material shortage in the United States and Europe.

The revised target was a major hindrance to Biden’s poll promise of administering 100 million vaccination shots in his first 100 days in office. The US government has purchased 600 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from both Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., which will be delivered in regular increments through the end of July 2021. In order to accelerate vaccine production, the Biden administration decided to invoke the Defense Production Act for the short term.

Indian Appeal

The matter of provision of vaccines was taken up by Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu soon after the Defense Production Act was invoked by President Joe Biden in February. EAM also raised it with secretary of state Antony Blinken when they spoke last week. The US side has promised to “give the matter due consideration” and to work with India to “find appropriate solutions”, according to the people cited above.

The decision by Biden and Harris comes close on heels to the call between the NSAs of the two countries and a request from the CEO of SII to the US President.