The United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> had made a "commitment" that Washington will give <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">coronavirus vaccines</a> to India. His comments come even as US on Thursday announced that India will get US Covid vaccines via Covax facility and directly as well in the first tranche of 25 million doses announced for the international community.

"The President made a commitment to ensure that India received doses and giving them, not just an allocation under the regional portion of this, through Covax, but an additional allocation from our discretionary portion was something that he wanted to do,"&nbsp;Sullivan said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-distribute-80-million-vaccine-doses-through-covax-india-included-in-list-white-house-389263" hreflang="en">US to distribute 80 million vaccine doses through Covax; India included in list: White House</a>

India is the only country which gets the US vaccines both ways. The US will be sharing a total of 80 million doses by the end of June. This represents 13 per cent of the total vaccines produced by the US by the end of this month.

"Our approach prioritises South and Southeast Asia, including countries like India, Nepal, the Philippines, and others that are undergoing surges right now," NSA explained. He also highlighted that the&nbsp;"portion of those doses will go to India, which has, obviously, dealt with a surge, and we've seen the gripping images coming from that country."

In all, the US will give 25 million vaccines to more than 35 countries and three entities — West Bank and Gaza, Kosovo and Taiwan and United Nations frontline workers. The 25 million will be comprised of the three approved — EUA-approved authorised vaccines — some combination of Johnson &amp; Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-i-was-right-about-wuhan-lab-leak-demands-10-trillion-penalty-from-china-389378" hreflang="en">Trump says 'I was right about Wuhan lab leak'; demands $10 trillion penalty from China</a>

Both India and the US are working to enhance vaccine production, especially under the Quad covid vaccine initiative. The first virtual Quad summit took place on March 12, in which leaders of the US, India, Japan and Australia had met and key outcome was the vaccine initiative under which India will be the production hub.

"Increased manufacturing capacity in India (volume of capacity)..has the potential to be a game changer well beyond India’s borders, and that’s precisely why (the) arrangement was reached and announced in the context of the Quad,"&nbsp;Ned Price, US State Department spokesperson said.

Amid the pandemic, the US had reached out to India with assistance. The US sent 20,000 courses of Remdesivir, 1,500 oxygen cylinders, 550 mobile oxygen concentrators, one million rapid diagnostic tests, 2.5 million N95 masks, large-scale Deployable Oxygen Concentration System that can provide oxygen to treat 20 or more patients and 210 pulse oximeters.

The US had sent six planes to India to deal with the covid crisis in the month of May and according to USAID, US Government assistance to combat the current crisis is about $100 million.

Price pointed out that "virtually no element of Indian society has been left untouched by this horrible, horrible scourge" and "together between the US government contributions as well as private sector contributions, we have seen some half a billion dollars in support go to India in its time of need."

The United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that US President Joe Biden had made a "commitment" that Washington will give coronavirus vaccines to India.

The United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said that US President Joe Biden had made a "commitment" that Washington will give coronavirus vaccines to India. His comments come even as US on Thursday announced that India will get US Covid vaccines via Covax facility and directly as well in the first tranche of 25 million doses announced for the international community. "The President made a commitment to ensure that India received doses and giving them, not just an allocation under the regional portion of this, through Covax, but an additional allocation from our discretionary portion was something that he wanted to do," Sullivan said. Also read | US to distribute 80 million vaccine doses through Covax; India included in list: White House India is the only country which gets the US vaccines both ways. The US will be sharing a total of 80 million doses by the end of June. This represents 13 per cent of the total vaccines produced by the US by the end of this month. "Our approach prioritises South and Southeast Asia, including countries like India, Nepal, the Philippines, and others that are undergoing surges right now," NSA explained. He also highlighted that the "portion of those doses will go to India, which has, obviously, dealt with a surge, and we've seen the gripping images coming from that country." In all, the US will give 25 million vaccines to more than 35 countries and three entities — West Bank and Gaza, Kosovo and Taiwan and United Nations frontline workers. The 25 million will be comprised of the three approved — EUA-approved authorised vaccines — some combination of Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna. Also read | Trump says 'I was right about Wuhan lab leak'; demands $10 trillion penalty from China Both India and the US are working to enhance vaccine production, especially under the Quad covid vaccine initiative. The first virtual Quad summit took place on March 12, in which leaders of the US, India, Japan and Australia had met and key outcome was the vaccine initiative under which India will be the production hub. "Increased manufacturing capacity in India (volume of capacity)..has the potential to be a game changer well beyond India’s borders, and that’s precisely why (the) arrangement was reached and announced in the context of the Quad," Ned Price, US State Department spokesperson said. Amid the pandemic, the US had reached out to India with assistance. The US sent 20,000 courses of Remdesivir, 1,500 oxygen cylinders, 550 mobile oxygen concentrators, one million rapid diagnostic tests, 2.5 million N95 masks, large-scale Deployable Oxygen Concentration System that can provide oxygen to treat 20 or more patients and 210 pulse oximeters. The US had sent six planes to India to deal with the covid crisis in the month of May and according to USAID, US Government assistance to combat the current crisis is about $100 million. Price pointed out that "virtually no element of Indian society has been left untouched by this horrible, horrible scourge" and "together between the US government contributions as well as private sector contributions, we have seen some half a billion dollars in support go to India in its time of need."

Joe Biden made commitment to send vaccines to India, says US NSA

Coronavirus&nbsp;vaccines remain out of reach in the poorest countries, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report on Friday, marking the&nbsp;first&nbsp;anniversary of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVAX</a>&nbsp;dose-sharing&nbsp;facility.

"Nearly 900 million&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;doses have been administered globally, but over 81% have gone to high- or upper middle-income countries, while low-income countries have received just 0.3%," WHO director-general&nbsp;Tedros&nbsp;Adhanom Ghebreyesus said about the ACT (Access to&nbsp;COVID-19 Tools) Accelerator set up a&nbsp;year&nbsp;ago.

Tedros&nbsp;has repeatedly denounced inequities in&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;distribution and urged wealthier countries to share excess doses to help inoculate health workers in low-income countries. More than 3 million people have died in the pandemic.

COVAX, which has shipped 40.5 million doses to 118 countries so far, aims to secure 2 billion doses by the end of 2021.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="COVAX delivers over 20 million doses to 20 nations">COVAX delivers over 20 million doses to 20 nations</a>

On Thursday,&nbsp;COVAX, co-run by the Gavi&nbsp;Vaccine&nbsp;Alliance and WHO, said it was seeking to bolster its supplies of&nbsp;vaccines for poor countries from new manufacturers as it aims to mitigate supply problems of the AstraZeneca&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;from India, its main shot so far.

"Low-income countries test less than 5% as much as high-income countries, and the majority of countries still have trouble accessing sufficient oxygen and dexamethasone,"&nbsp;Tedros&nbsp;said. He was referring to an inexpensive steroid found to help patients suffering severe&nbsp;COVID-19, the only WHO-approved treatment for the disease.

India reported the world's highest daily tally of coronavirus cases for a second day on Friday, surpassing 330,000 new cases, as it struggles with a health system overwhelmed by patients and plagued by accidents and lack of medical oxygen.

Coronavirus vaccines remain out of reach in the poorest countries, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report on Friday, marking the first anniversary of the COVAX dose-sharing facility.

Coronavirus vaccines remain out of reach in the poorest countries, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report on Friday, marking the first anniversary of the COVAX dose-sharing facility. "Nearly 900 million vaccine doses have been administered globally, but over 81% have gone to high- or upper middle-income countries, while low-income countries have received just 0.3%," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said about the ACT (Access to COVID-19 Tools) Accelerator set up a year ago. Tedros has repeatedly denounced inequities in vaccine distribution and urged wealthier countries to share excess doses to help inoculate health workers in low-income countries. More than 3 million people have died in the pandemic. COVAX, which has shipped 40.5 million doses to 118 countries so far, aims to secure 2 billion doses by the end of 2021. Also read: COVAX delivers over 20 million doses to 20 nations On Thursday, COVAX, co-run by the Gavi Vaccine Alliance and WHO, said it was seeking to bolster its supplies of vaccines for poor countries from new manufacturers as it aims to mitigate supply problems of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India, its main shot so far. "Low-income countries test less than 5% as much as high-income countries, and the majority of countries still have trouble accessing sufficient oxygen and dexamethasone," Tedros said. He was referring to an inexpensive steroid found to help patients suffering severe COVID-19, the only WHO-approved treatment for the disease. India reported the world's highest daily tally of coronavirus cases for a second day on Friday, surpassing 330,000 new cases, as it struggles with a health system overwhelmed by patients and plagued by accidents and lack of medical oxygen.

Tedros denounces vaccine inequity as COVAX sharing scheme marks first year

The Syrian government received more than 200,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine via the Covax programme Thursday, state media said, in the first such shipment to government-held territory. The delivery comes as Syria's war-ravaged medical sector grapples with a Covid-19 outbreak that has accelerated rapidly in recent months.

The health ministry "received the first batch of vaccines provided by the Covax platform, which consist of 203,000 doses," the official SANA news agency said. On Wednesday, the war-torn northwest of the country had received 53,800 AstraZeneca doses from Covax, the first such delivery to the country's last major opposition bastion. Covax is jointly led by the public-private alliance Gavi, the World HealthOrganization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. It has already sent vaccine doses to more than 100 countries and territories worldwide. In a joint statement, Gavi, WHO and the UN's agency for children UNICEF said Thursday's vaccine delivery marked "a great day of hope."

"The imminent roll-out of the vaccines will bring protection to health workers, who continue their lifesaving work amid the pandemic," the statement said. In recent weeks, the Syrian government has repeatedly sounded the alarm over soaring coronavirus rates. In mid-March, intensive care units dedicated to Covid-19 patients in Damascus hospitals reached full capacity, according to the health ministry. Thursday's delivery "gives hope for the people in Syria, whose lives have been shattered by a decade of conflict and the devastating impact of the pandemic," said WHO's Syria representative, Akjemal Magtymova.

According to the WHO, 912,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been earmarked for Syria in the first phase of vaccination in regime-controlled and semi-autonomous Kurdish areas. The aim is to vaccinate 20 per cent of the population by year's end. "Every health worker who will get vaccinated will be better protected to attend to children and families' health needs," said Bo Viktor Nylund, UNICEF's Syria representative. Officially, government-controlled territories have recorded more than 21,500 Covid-19 cases, including 1,483 deaths. But the real number of cases could be much higher, according to the UN, mostly due to limited testing.

The Syrian government received more than 200,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine via the Covax programme Thursday, state media said, in the first such shipment to government-held territory.

The Syrian government received more than 200,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine via the Covax programme Thursday, state media said, in the first such shipment to government-held territory. The delivery comes as Syria's war-ravaged medical sector grapples with a Covid-19 outbreak that has accelerated rapidly in recent months. The health ministry "received the first batch of vaccines provided by the Covax platform, which consist of 203,000 doses," the official SANA news agency said. On Wednesday, the war-torn northwest of the country had received 53,800 AstraZeneca doses from Covax, the first such delivery to the country's last major opposition bastion. Covax is jointly led by the public-private alliance Gavi, the World HealthOrganization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. It has already sent vaccine doses to more than 100 countries and territories worldwide. In a joint statement, Gavi, WHO and the UN's agency for children UNICEF said Thursday's vaccine delivery marked "a great day of hope." "The imminent roll-out of the vaccines will bring protection to health workers, who continue their lifesaving work amid the pandemic," the statement said. In recent weeks, the Syrian government has repeatedly sounded the alarm over soaring coronavirus rates. In mid-March, intensive care units dedicated to Covid-19 patients in Damascus hospitals reached full capacity, according to the health ministry. Thursday's delivery "gives hope for the people in Syria, whose lives have been shattered by a decade of conflict and the devastating impact of the pandemic," said WHO's Syria representative, Akjemal Magtymova. According to the WHO, 912,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been earmarked for Syria in the first phase of vaccination in regime-controlled and semi-autonomous Kurdish areas. The aim is to vaccinate 20 per cent of the population by year's end. "Every health worker who will get vaccinated will be better protected to attend to children and families' health needs," said Bo Viktor Nylund, UNICEF's Syria representative. Officially, government-controlled territories have recorded more than 21,500 Covid-19 cases, including 1,483 deaths. But the real number of cases could be much higher, according to the UN, mostly due to limited testing.

Syria government receives first Covax jabs

Ghana is to receive Wednesday the first shipment of Covid-19 <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccines</a> from Covax, a global scheme to procure and distribute inoculations for free to poor countries, UNICEF and the World Health Organization said.

"We are pleased that Ghana has become the first country to receive the Covid-19 vaccines from the Covax facility," UNICEF, which organised the shipment from Mumbai, said in a joint statement with the WHO.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/sri-lanka-orders-135-million-astrazeneca-doses-likely-to-drop-chinese-covid-19-vaccines-365799" hreflang="en">Sri Lanka orders 13.5 million AstraZeneca doses, likely to drop Chinese COVID-19 vaccines</a>

It said the 600,000 doses are part of an initial tranche of deliveries of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine licensed to the Serum Institute of India, "which represent part of the first wave of Covid vaccines headed to several low and middle-income countries."

The West African nation has recorded 80,759 Covid-19 cases and 582 deaths since the start of the pandemic. These figures are believed to fall short of the real toll as the number of tests is low.

Frontline workers in Ghana are meant to be the first to receive the vaccine.

Also read|&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/what-role-can-india-play-in-coronavirus-vaccine-inoculation-365760/amp" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/india-news/what-role-can-india-play-in-coronavirus-vaccine-inoculation-365760/amp&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi_6dj3kYLvAhU38HMBHY8FCyoQFjABegQICRAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw14AEBn746UmFNlIqAquze6" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/what-role-can-india-play-in-coronavirus-vaccine-inoculation-365760/amp" target="_blank">What role can India play in coronavirus vaccine inoculation?</a>

"In the days ahead, frontline workers will begin to receive vaccines," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.&nbsp;

"The next phase in the fight against this disease can begin – the ramping up of the largest immunization campaign in history."

Covax, led by Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, the WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said it would deliver two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to its members by the end of the year, including 2,412,000 doses to Ghana.

Schools in the country reopened in January after a 10-month closure, but large social gatherings are banned and land and sea borders have remained closed since March 2020.

Ghana's economic growth is expected to plummet this year to its lowest in three decades, to 0.9 percent according to the International Monetary Fund, from 6.5 percent in 2019.

Ghana is to receive Wednesday the first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines from Covax, a global scheme to procure and distribute inoculations for free to poor countries, UNICEF and the World Health Organization said.

Ghana is to receive Wednesday the first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines from Covax, a global scheme to procure and distribute inoculations for free to poor countries, UNICEF and the World Health Organization said. "We are pleased that Ghana has become the first country to receive the Covid-19 vaccines from the Covax facility," UNICEF, which organised the shipment from Mumbai, said in a joint statement with the WHO. Also read| Sri Lanka orders 13.5 million AstraZeneca doses, likely to drop Chinese COVID-19 vaccines It said the 600,000 doses are part of an initial tranche of deliveries of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine licensed to the Serum Institute of India, "which represent part of the first wave of Covid vaccines headed to several low and middle-income countries." The West African nation has recorded 80,759 Covid-19 cases and 582 deaths since the start of the pandemic. These figures are believed to fall short of the real toll as the number of tests is low. Frontline workers in Ghana are meant to be the first to receive the vaccine. Also read| What role can India play in coronavirus vaccine inoculation? "In the days ahead, frontline workers will begin to receive vaccines," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. "The next phase in the fight against this disease can begin – the ramping up of the largest immunization campaign in history." Covax, led by Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, the WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said it would deliver two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to its members by the end of the year, including 2,412,000 doses to Ghana. Schools in the country reopened in January after a 10-month closure, but large social gatherings are banned and land and sea borders have remained closed since March 2020. Ghana's economic growth is expected to plummet this year to its lowest in three decades, to 0.9 percent according to the International Monetary Fund, from 6.5 percent in 2019.

Ghana to receive world's first doses of free Covax vaccines

COVAX is a global initiative co-led by the World Health Organization, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

Will U.S. provide more funds for vaccination drive?

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Joe Biden made commitment to send vaccines to India, says US NSA

Tedros denounces vaccine inequity as COVAX sharing scheme marks first year

Syria government receives first Covax jabs

Ghana to receive world's first doses of free Covax vaccines

Will U.S. provide more funds for vaccination drive?