Congresswoman Joyce Beatty lauds India for helping Caribbean countries with vaccines

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty lauded India for helping Caribbean countries with COVID-19 vaccines during unprecedented times. She acknowledged India's efforts in sharing over 8 million vaccines with at least 38 countries.

In a letter to India's Ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, leader of the influential Congressional Black Caucus, said, "I appreciate your government's efforts as it has selflessly donated nearly 8 million immunizations with at least 38 countries."

"In addition, India's assistance to the Barbados, Commonwealth of Dominica, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and Grenadines, Jamaica, Suriname, Guyana, Bahamas, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mongolia, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Oman, Bahrain, and Afghanistan has been tremendous," Ms Beatty said.

Africa's Congo, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Uganda, Malawi, Senegal, Rwanda, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Namibia, Mauritius, and Seychelles have all received vaccines from India, she noted.

In a letter dated January 19, the official thanked India for its worldwide leadership role and expressed thanks for India's global efforts to combat the COVID-19 epidemic on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

"This pandemic has brought the global economy to a halt, and people continue to struggle around the world even as governments implement recovery efforts to restart economic activity and restore normalcy," the letter stated.

The restoration of global economic activity will be critical in mitigating the pandemic's harmful consequences, particularly on the world's vulnerable and impoverished populations. The ability of governments to vaccinate their populations and the global collective's ability to ensure an equitable distribution of vaccinations is critical, she said.

"It's also admirable that the US, India, Australia, and Japan promised to collaborate on a vaccine programme in the Indo-Pacific area during the recent QUAD Leadership Summit," Ms. Beatty said.

The Congresswoman said that the recent expansion of Biological E's vaccine manufacturing facility in Hyderabad and the completion of a $50 million U.S. government financing agreement to expand the company's capacity to produce COVID-19 vaccines, highlight the importance of the unique global collaboration.

The Congressional Black Caucus, which includes numerous senators and is one of the largest voting blocs in Congress, has emerged as a prominent player in the Biden administration. Kamala Harris, the Vice President, was also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.