New Delhi: India expects to secure the biggest chunk of the 60 million Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses that the United States will share globally, two Indian government sources told Reuters, reported ‘mint’ on Tuesday.
On Monday, the White House said 10 million doses could be cleared for export “in coming weeks” and the rest by June. It has not revealed potential beneficiaries, but the sources said India could gain the most.
“The wheels of diplomacy and appeals from WHO and top public health experts changed their thinking and now we have the U.S. ready to send vaccines,” said one of the sources, an aide to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the report added.
“We are not sure how many we will receive. All I can say here is, our bowl is the largest and deepest.”
Speaking to Reuters after a telephone conversation between Modi and President Joe Biden on vaccine raw materials, the second official said India was lobbying hard to get more than 35% of the AstraZeneca doses, the report further added.
