Indian American Groups Press White House on Vaccines for India
The United States’ leading Indian American civic and political organization, IMPACT, has launched what it describes as a seven figure campaign to compel the Biden administration to rush COVID-19 vaccines to India and help the country build its own vaccine manufacturing capacity.
The public #SendIndiaVaccines campaign was launched by IMPACT in partnership with a coalition of groups including Indiaspora, Pratham USA, NAAIS and SAAPRI.
“This week, India reported the highest single daily death toll of any country during the pandemic, while experts say the United States is sitting on a surplus of nearly 100 million vaccines.
“The Biden administration needs to act immediately to send these lifesaving vaccines to India and take steps to end the pandemic globally. We can’t afford to wait any longer,” said IMPACT Executive Director Neil Makhija.
While the Biden administration has taken a first step by sending aid to India and committing to share the vaccines globally, Makhija said the response has to be proportional to the scale of the crisis.
“This is not an Indian crisis, but a global one. To bring this pandemic to an end, the United States must lead the way in expanding vaccine supplies in India and the rest of the world,” he said.
The NOVID Act, spearheaded by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., would allocate $19 billion to fight the pandemic globally.
“As strong proponents of a close U.S.-India relationship, we are hopeful that the Biden-Harris administration will continue to assist India by releasing critically needed surplus vaccine supplies,” said Sanjeev Joshipura, executive director of Indiaspora.