Modi appreciates US assurance of COVID-19 vaccines supplies to India

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday had a telephonic conversation with US Vice President Kamala Harris wherein the latter apprised about America’s plan to share the first tranche of 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to India and other countries.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said he spoke with Kamala Harris and deeply appreciated the assurance of 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,” he tweeted.

“We also discussed ongoing efforts to further strengthen India-US vaccine cooperation, and the potential of our partnership to contribute to post-Covid global health and economic recovery,” PM Modi said in another tweet.

This comes after the US administration unveiled a strategy for global vaccine sharing.

According to the strategy, the United States plans to send the first tranche of 25 million doses globally. Out of which, approximately 7 million vaccine doses will be supplied to Asian countries including India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

According to a statement by Senior White House Advisor and Chief Spokesperson Symone Sanders, Harris spoke this morning to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico, President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Prime Minister Keith Rowley, Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

In four separate calls, Sanders said that the US Vice President notified “each of the leaders that the Biden-Harris Administration will begin sharing the first 25 million doses of COVID vaccines to their respective countries and others, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s framework for sharing at least 80 million vaccines globally by the end of June”.

Harris also reiterated that the US Administration’s efforts are focused on achieving broad global coverage, responding to surges and other urgent situations and public health needs, and helping as many countries as possible who requested vaccines, according to the statement.