By Andrea Shalal
(Reuters) – The United States will immediately provide raw materials for COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and protective gear to help India respond to a massive surge in COVID-19 infections, a White House spokeswoman said on Sunday.
“The United States is working around the clock to deploy available resources and supplies,” National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a statement.
She said the United States would send raw materials required for India to manufacture the Covishield vaccine, as well as therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits, ventilators and protective equipment for frontline workers.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, as the country set a global record for new COVID-19 infections in a single day.
The United States was also is pursuing options to provide India with oxygen generation and related supplies.
Washington, which has faced mounting pressure to help the world’s largest democracy, would also send a team of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Agency for International Development to work with India on the crisis, Horne said.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Wilmington; additional reporting by Chris Prentice in Washington; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
