Vaccine Partnership Announced at Quad Summit: All You Need to Know

“India’s formidable vaccine production will be expanded with support from Japan, US and Australia,” PM Modi tweeted.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@POTUS)

US President Joe Biden on Friday, 12 March, announced the launch of a joint partnership to boost vaccine manufacturing for the global benefit at the first Quad Leaders' Virtual Summit, also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian PM Scott Morrison and Japan PM Yoshihide Suga.

"We are launching a new ambitious joint partnership that is going to boost vaccine manufacturing for the global benefit, strengthen vaccinations to benefit the entire Indo-Pacific," Biden was quoted as saying.

After the summit, PM Modi tweeted saying, "United in our fight against COVID-19, we launched a landmark Quad partnership to ensure accessibility of safe COVID-19 vaccines. India's formidable vaccine production will be expanded with support from Japan, US and Australia to assist countries in the Indo-Pacific region."

US DFC to Work With Biological E

The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) will be working with Hyderabad-based biopharmaceutical company Biological E to finance increased capacity to support the latter's effort to produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022 with Stringent Regulatory Authorisation (SRA) and/or World Health Organisation Emergency Use Listing, including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, a fact sheet on the Quad Summit posted by The White House sad.

“Quad partners are working collaboratively to achieve expanded manufacturing of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines at facilities in India, prioritising increased capacity for vaccines authorised by SRA. Quad partners will address financing and logistical demands for production, procurement, and delivery of safe and effective vaccines.”

Quad Summit Fact Summit released by The White House

Japan, through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), is in talks to provide concessional yen loans for the Indian government to expand manufacturing for COVID-19 vaccines for export, the fact-sheet further said.

‘Quad Vaccine Initiative the Most Valuable’

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday called the Quad vaccine initiative "the most pressing and valuable."

"Four countries have agreed to a plan to pool their financial resources, manufacturing capabilities and capacities, logistics to ramp up the manufacture and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region. India welcomes this initiative as it recognises our own manufacturing capacities and capabilities. We look forward to wholehearted participation in this endeavour,” he said.