US civil rights chief to induce Biden to launch 60 million Covid vaccine doses to India

Well-known American civil rights activist Rev. Jesse L. Jackson calls on President Joe Biden to bring 60 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to India, where one of the world’s worst pandemic outbreaks is occurring.

Rev. Jackson will be joined by a number of prominent Indian leaders in the state capital on Wednesday to publicly appeal to Biden for more humanitarian aid, a community statement said.

“The pandemic poses a threat to humanity, not to a country. Our response must be as comprehensive as the threat, “Rev. Jackson said in a statement. He will urge Biden to give India 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, it said.

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Dr. Bharat Barai, chairman of the US India Friendship Council, called on the president to facilitate immediate delivery of the “much-needed antiviral drugs remdesivir and tocilizumab” to India.

In a statement, Dr. Vijay Prabhakar, national chairman of the American Association of Multiethnic Physicians, USA, urged Biden to invoke the Federal International Emergency Production Act, which would allow the manufacturers of the vaccine in the USA to increase their production capacity.

“We have to protect India first, then America and the rest of the world can be protected,” said Dr. Prabhakar. He thanked Biden for his international vaccination promise by providing 80 million Covid-19 vaccines and also advocated giving at least 60 million of them to India.

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In its most recent update, the Union Ministry of Health put the total number of Covid-19 cases in India at 2,52,28,996 and the death toll at 2,78,719. The ministry said there are 33,53,765 active cases while 2,15,96,512 people have recovered from the infection so far.