Members of America’s influential Congression𓂃al Hispanic Caucus have urged US President Joe Biden to champion vaccine collaboration with India to bring an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a letter dated March 10 to Biden, T𝔉exas delegation members and other members (Hispanic areas), requested the administration to lead distribution of low-cost vaccines to low-income nations with low vaccination rates to save millions of lives and bring an end to the worldwide pandemic꧑.
The l🤡awmakers urged the President to use the two vaccines which are a result of India-US collaborations for the global good and to end vaccine inequity through Corbevax and Covovax.
While the CORBEVAX vaccine is patent-free, another vaccine, devel🐷oped by American biotechnology company Novavax, is in production in India and its export is planned to the COVAX facility.
“We think the United States has the opportunity to champion these vaccines created by American expertise for countries where vaccine inequa✱lity is taking its toll on some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people,” the lawmakers wrote.
“To this end, the US can partner with like-minded countries to ensure an equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. We request the White House to consider the use of these vaccines in partnership with countries across the globe, in a manner similar👍 to the QUAD vaccine initiative and ensure an equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vacc🔯ine,” they said.
The letter was signed by Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who is Vice Chair, House Armed Services Committee and Democratic Women’s Caucus; Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, House Judiciary and House Financial Services꧃ Committees; Congresswoman Vicente Gonzalez, House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Congresswoman Jimmy Gomez, Vice Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and🅺 House Committee on Ways and Means.
This letter is in addition to t𒐪he letters written by the Powerful Congressional Black Caucus which commended the government of India in its efforts to help Africa and Caribbean.
The letter signed by the Chair of the Caucus - Congresswoman Joyce Beatty also identified India as a majo🉐r partner to end vaccine inequity in the developing world.
Other signatorౠies to the letter were Congressman Michael San Nicolas, Juan Vargas, Jim Costa, Darren Soto, Ro Khanna a🅰nd Linda Sanchez.
For more than a year, India’s Ambassador to the U♈S Taranjit Singh Sandhu and India’s diplomatic missions have focused on engagement with US Congres♐s, administration, think-tanks and industry on promoting India-US vaccine collaborations.
Congressional outre♌ach has😼 resulted in over 100 members of the House of Representatives supporting India’s proposal for a TRIPS waiver at the WTO for COVID-19 vaccines.
Notably, there was also specific outreach to important Caucuses on this issue: Congressional Black💮 Caucus, Congressio💖nal Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Caucus on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Earlier, a letter from the Chairs of the three Caucus ꦡwas also sent to President Biden, urging him to partner with countries to end vaccine inequit𝄹y.
A vaccine roundtable was organised 🎐last month by the embassy with participation of billionaire American business magnate Bill Gates, WHO’s Chief Sꦛcientist Soumya Swaminathan and Dr Peter Hotez among others.
The case for India-US vaccine collaborations to be used in third countries was also argued in a recent Houston Chronicle OpEd penned by Ambassad🌌or Sandhu.
The lawmakers wrote that the CORBEVAX vaccine was recently graꦅnted an emergency use authorisation from India’s drug regulation agen✃cy.
Indian vaccine manufacturer Biological E Limited is now making 100 million doses per month and has already sold 300 million 🐟doses to 👍the Indian government, the letter said.
“India is a shining example of the immense𒀰 international p🐈otential CORBEVAX holds for low- and middle- income countries.
“We continue to ask the federal government and G7 natio🐼ns for assistance to co-develop this recombinant protein vaccine with new partners in low-resource countries and we continue to ask the federal governmeꦯnt and G7 nations for assistance to co-develop this recombinant protein vaccine with new partners in low-resource countries and should CORBEVAX file domestically,” the lawmakers said.
They also urged the Food and Drug Administration to consider re🦩viewing the vaccine 𒐪for emergency use authorisation.
“Waiting to support the use of this vaccine on an in🧸ternational scale would jeopardise millions of lives, and we urge the administration to back the use of CORBEVAX globally,” the lawmakers a🍎dded.
