Washington- The US banned the export of the COVID vaccine raw materials to India which came as a massive blow as it will slow the speed of the vaccination process in the country.
The United State of America, which is the worst coronavirus-affected country in the world, justified the restrictions to export key COVID vaccine raw materials to India by citing its "Americans first" policy.
A senior State Department official stated that catering to the urgent requirements of the American citizens is the first priority of the Biden administration.
When asked about when the Biden administration would State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the United States is first and foremost engaged in an ambitious and effective and so far successful effort to vaccinate the American people.
"That campaign is well underway, and we're doing that for a couple of reasons. Number one, we have a special responsibility to the American people. Number two, the American people, this country has been hit harder than any other country around the world more than 550,000 deaths, tens of millions of infections in this country alone," he said yesterday. Read more
States spokesperson Prince said that as long as the virus is spreading anywhere, it is a threat to people everywhere meaning if the virus is spreading uncontrolled in the Us, it can mutate and can travel beyond our borders. He added by saying that it is not only in the interest of the US to see Americans vaccinated but also in the interest of the world. He also said that being consistent with its "Americans First" policy the US will do as much as they can for the rest of the world to combat this deadly infectious disease.
The US administration recently conveyed the message to New Delhi that it understands India's pharmaceutical requirements and will surely give the matter due consideration. The Biden Administration attributed an act that forces American companies to prioritize domestic consumption as the main reason behind the ban on the exports of key raw materials needed to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines. Read more
The US set a goal to vaccinate the entire population by the 4th of July and have steadily ramped up the production of COVID-19 vaccines, mainly Pfizer and Moderna.
It is to be noted that the Serum Institute of India is the world's leading producer of the coronavirus vaccine.
Meanwhile, India once again shatters its own previous records as 3.46 Lakh Fresh COVID-19 Cases have been reported in the last 24 hours which takes the nation's total caseload to 1.66 crores. The number of active cases amounts to about 25.43 lakh. 2,624 new COVID-induced fatalities have been reported in the last 24 hours, the highest deaths recorded in a single day so far, taking the total tally of deaths to 1.89 lakh. Today marks the third consecutive day when more than 3 lakh cases have been recorded.