Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi will launch legislation to provide the funding required for Covid 19 vaccines that can take care of 60 per cent of the population in middle-income countries.
A report by news agency ANI said that the legislation will increase US aid to several countries including India and help in addressing the Covid 19 surges through vaccination. The move will also reduce “the risk of dangerous new variants,” the report said.
"Today I am launching legislation to provide funding so that we can vaccinate 60 per cent of the population in middle-income countries around the world. We need to vaccinate the rest of the world if we can do that. And we can finally get rid of Covid. That's the way that we have to go. And that's what I'm going to be pursuing in Congress," Krishnamoorthi told ANI in an interview.
Krishnamoorthi has been vocal about the need to increase co-operation in vaccination drive to ensure that the world can see the end of the pandemic.
“When people in India and elsewhere desperately need help, we can’t let vaccines sit in a warehouse, we need to get them where they’ll save lives,” earlier Krishnamoorthi said in a tweet at a time, when US showed its reluctance in sharing the life saving jabs and other Covid 19 related medical aid with other nations. Krishnamoorthi also announced the Nullifying Opportunities for Variants to Infect and Decimate (NOVID) Act – a holistic programme aimed at prevention of the deadly virus. The programme will not only ensure that Americans are not subject to another Covid -19 surge domestically but is expected to help other countries including India as well.
“When we have vaccinated, most of our population in the United States that's very good, but countries like India and other countries are hard hit by Covid. It's only a matter of time before they may come in the United States again, so it is not only the right thing to help these other countries but also one of the smart things to do," he said in the interview.
Talking about India, he said that help in on its way. He promised that the US administration will do all that it can to help India and other nations.
