PremiumNEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met leaders of the US business community, US Chamber of Commerce and the US India Business Council overnight Tuesday to leverage private sector support to help India battle its covid-19 infection surge.
According to State Department spokesman Ned Price, “Secretary Blinken, Coordinator for Global COVID Response and Health Security Gayle Smith, and National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell provided an update on U.S. assistance and welcomed coordination with U.S. industry."
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Premium “Secretary Blinken expressed appreciation to U.S. industry partners and reaffirmed that the United States stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of India as we continue to work toward solutions for the COVID-19 crisis," Price said.
The discussions follow a telephone call between by US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday in which Biden conveyed solidarity with India as it battles a rampaging second wave of Covid-19 infections in the country.
On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and others conveyed their strong support to India as the daily number of infections crossed the 350,000 mark this week and the number of daily deaths stood at over 2800 due to covid-19. The total number of those infected with the disease stood at over 17 million.
India has been looking to get cryogenic containers to transport liquid medical oxygen to overstretched hospitals as they battle to save critically ill patients. Scores of patients have been reported dead due to the lack of oxygen support. Coupled with this, was a shortage of critical drugs and vaccines. One of the key items on India’s wish list to the US has been quick export of vital components required for vaccine production in India. The export of 37 critical components had slowed down as Biden invoked the 1950 Defence production act which prioritises domestic needs of the US over exports to other countries.
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