Pressure mounts on Biden to ease vax raw material export

Tribune News Service
NEW DELHI, APRIL 24

The Biden administration gave conflicting signals about easing exports of raw material to allow India manufacture vaccines to keep up its domestic and export commitments.

Meanwhile, there was some pressure from the American society, including Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and the US Chambers of Commerce.

The White House seemed to offer a ray of hope with its top medical adviser Anthony Fauci assuring that the US would try to help India deal with its record-breaking Covid surge.

Though there was conspicuous silence from some enthusiastic backers of US-India ties, the US Chamber was most forthright in seeking the release of AstraZeneca vaccine doses for India and Brazil as these will not be needed in the US which will have enough doses by June to vaccinate every American.

“This move will affirm US leadership and we should work with partners around the globe because no one is safe from the pandemic until we are all safe from it,” said the US Chamber in a repudiation of State Department spokesperson Ned Price stressing on American exceptionalism to justify the ban on exports. Price had said it is in the interest of the world that all Americans are vaccinated.

Congresswoman Rashida Talib sought a patent waiver from the White House which has been sought before the WTO by India, South Africa and Pakistan but opposed by the US and the EU.

The State Department deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter has suggested that the US will be mindful of the entire world affected by the pandemic. “And as we look to our Indian friends battling this pandemic, we’ll also acknowledge the toll that it’s taking not only on the people of India but as well as all throughout South Asia and, quite frankly, all over the world,” she said.