Joe Biden recalls India's help in fighting Covid-19 as US scrambles to return favour

US President Joe Biden recalled India’s assistance to the United States in the early days of the Covid-19 outbreak as his administration in Washington DC swung into action to return the favour and support the South Asian nation to contain the raging second wave of the pandemic.

Even as a special Air India aircraft brought 318 Phillips oxygen concentrators from New York to New Delhi early on Tuesday, Biden, his Vice-President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin followed Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan in pledging support to India.

The US is likely to use its military transport aircraft to rush medical equipment to India.

Not only the US, but Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom also started sending healthcare equipment to help India deal with the crisis, while Canada, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Russia, Iran, France and Denmark also offered assistance. So did China and Pakistan too.

“Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need,” Biden posted on Twitter. He was apparently referring to India’s supply of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and other drugs as well as Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to the US soon after the SARS-CoV-2 virus caused a pandemic around the world last year.

The President was spending his weekend at his home in Delaware but is believed to be following up the developments in India.

Also read: US to send vaccine raw material to India, UK dispatches medical supplies

Harris tweeted that Washington DC was working closely with New Delhi to “rapidly deploy additional support and supplies” to help contain the alarming Covid-19 outbreak in India. “As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of India – including its courageous healthcare workers.”

Biden and Harris took to Twitter to reassure New Delhi of the US assistance shortly after Sullivan spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and indicated that Washington DC would ease restrictions imposed on export of certain raw materials needed to augment production of the Covid-19 vaccines in India.

The US is also likely to send to India more oxygen concentrators, therapeutics, rapid Covid-19 diagnostic test kits, ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla and New Delhi’s envoy to Washington DC Taranjit Singh Sandhu discussed with the American Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman a proposal for Washington DC to consider allowing export of millions of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines lying unused in storages in the US, sources told DH.

Also read: UK sending 'vital medical equipment' to India to aid Covid fight

Austin stated that he had directed the Department of Defence to use every resource at its disposal, within its authority, to support the US Government’s interagency efforts to rapidly provide India’s frontline healthcare workers with the materials they need. “We are currently assessing the equipment we can both procure and draw from our own inventory in the coming days and weeks,” he said in a statement.

Also read: Covid-19: US in damage-control mode, vows help to India

He added that the US Department of Defence would provide transportation and logistics assistance to deliver medical supplies to India.

The Biden Administration swung into action after it drew flak both in the US and from India for its State Department’s statement defending restriction on export of raw materials required for production of vaccines. The restrictions hindered attempts to augment production of the vaccines in India. The US was criticised for defending the restrictions even as the second wave of the pandemic wreaked havoc in India.

The Indian Air Force aircraft brought seven empty cryogenic oxygen containers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Four oxygen containers were brought in by the IAF aircraft from Singapore. The South-East Asian nation promised to send altogether 7,511 oxygen concentrators and 516 BiPAP machines. Nearly 500 BiPAPs and 250 oxygen concentrators have already arrived in India. The Embassy of India in Riyadh facilitated import of 80 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen from Saudi Arabia by the Adani Group. The British High Commission in New Delhi stated that the UK Government would send nine airline container loads of supplies, including 495 oxygen concentrators, 120 non-invasive ventilators and 20 manual ventilators, to India.