Washington, June 7

Several US lawmakers have urged the Biden administration to ensure that India receives enough Covid-19 vaccines and medical aid, saying the health crisis in the country was "devastating" and America has a responsibility to help its close allies defeat the pandemic.

The lawmakers called on the US Government to send more vaccines and medical assistance to India after President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that the US would allocate 75 per cent — nearly 1.9 crore of the first tranche of 2.5 crore doses — of Covid-19 vaccines from its stockpile to countries in South and Southeast Asia as well as Africa by the end of June.

Biden said the US would share the vaccine with many countries to fight the pandemic through the UN-backed Covax global vaccine sharing programme as part of his administration's framework for sharing 80 million (eight crore) vaccines globally

"The crisis in India is devastating and demands more action from President Biden. More vaccines and medical supplies are needed to help one of our most important global allies fight this virus," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said. Republican Senator Ted Cruz said almost 300 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in the US. “India is a critical friend of the US. Biden's vaccine sharing programme is flawed: We should prioritise our allies such as India,” he said. — PTI

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