Covid-19 crisis: US to dispatch 20 million of its Covishield doses to India

The US has consented to dispatch 20 million Covishield doses from its own AstraZeneca order to India. The country will also send adequate multipore filters that would enable manufacturing of 18 million more doses.

Furthermore, the first tranche of 20,000 doses of anti-viral drug Remdesivir is likely to reach India this week. Addressing a presser on Thursday, April 29, foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said more than 40 countries are pitching in with immediately needed resources, and nations that India had delivered essential pharma products comprising Remdesivir, Hydroxychloroquine, and Paracetamol have stepped forward to help.

Sources told the Economic Times that the US has agreed to send 20 million vaccine doses to India, however, a timeline for the same is yet to be determined.

The US is believed to have 10 million doses in stock whereas another 50 million are to be produced over the next two months. Meanwhile, India is also in contact with China to ensure cargo flights remain operational considering a large number of medical supplies are being sourced.

"A large number of cargo flights are operational. Sichuan airlines, that has 10 flights a day, suspended operations, and that has had an impact on supplies from there. We will be in touch with authorities in China to have as much of this connectivity open," Shringla said.

Whilst more than 22 tonnes of medical supplies comprising oxygen plants reached India from Russia on Wednesday, April 28, the first supplies from the US are likely to land on Friday morning.

Three military aircraft are set to arrive with medicines and oxygen related equipment.

The US will also dispatch 20,000 courses of Remdesivir by early next week besides sending Milipore filters from its own stockpiles that will enable the production of 18 million AstraZeneca jabs in India at the earliest. Total 17 oxygen generator plants are also expected to be sent across.