White House says India, an important vaccine manufacturing hub

International

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Washington,
Oct
26:
India
is
an
important
manufacturer
of
vaccines
for
the
world,
the
White
House
said,
acknowledging
the
crucial
role
the
country
played
in
supplying
vaccines
against
COVID-19
globally.

“Because
of
its
incredible
manufacturing
capacity,
(India)
has
been
a
major
exporter
of
vaccines,”
Dr
Ashish
Jha,
White
House
Coronavirus
Response
Coordinator,
told
reporters
at
a
news
conference
here
on
Tuesday,
news
agency
PTI
reported.

Responding
to
a
question,
Dr
Jha
said
the
QUAD
partnership
–
a
strategic
security
dialogue
between
Australia,
India,
Japan
and
the
US
—
on
coronavirus
was
important
to
the
Joe
Biden
administration,
news
agency
PTI
reported.

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omicron
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“I
think
India
is
an
important
manufacturer
of
vaccines
for
the
world.
I
mean
not
just
for
India
itself,
this
is
a
really
important
thing,”
he
said
at
the
White
House
news
conference.

Defending
the
Biden
administration’s
decision
to
supply
vaccines
to
the
world,
Dr
Jha
said
the
US
will
continue
making
them
available
for
every
low
and
several
low-
and
middle-income
countries.

“There
are
about
100
countries
that
are
eligible
to
get
free
vaccines
through
COVAX
—
where
we
donate
the
vaccines
still
available
for
donation,”
he
said.
According
to
Dr
Jha,
every
major
variant
that
hit
the
US
originated
from
outside
the
country.
“So,
the
notion
that
we
can
somehow
wall
ourselves
off
and
not
be
affected
by
what’s
happening
in
the
rest
of
the
world
is
just
naïve,”
he
said.

“It’s
just
not
how
transmissible
viruses
like
this
work.
So
even
if
you
think
about
it
from
a
very
narrow
self-interest,
it’s
very
important
that
we
get
much
of
the
world
vaccinated,
that
we
help
build
out
the
kind
of
vaccination
program.
But
beyond
self-interest,
you
know,
America
is
a
country
that
has
deeply
engaged
in
the
world,”
he
added.

Dr
Jha
claimed
that
Biden
had
restored
American
leadership
on
global
health
in
a
way
which
is
“very
different
from
the
previous
President”.

“So,
for
a
whole
set
of
reasons,
it’s
very,
very
important
that
America
continues
to
lead,
€4.02
billion
is
a
small
investment
to
make
to
better
protect
Americans
and
better
protect
the
world,”
he
said.