Quad vaccine pact for Asia 'on track' despite India crisis: US officials

An agreement between the US and its QUAD partners to produce up to a billion coronavirus vaccine doses in India by the end of 2022 to supply other Asian countries is "still on track," senior US officials said.

An agreement between the United States and three of its closest Indo-Pacific partners to produce up to a billion coronavirus vaccine doses in India by the end of 2022 to supply other Asian countries is "still on track," senior US officials said on Monday, despite a surge of Covid-19 in India. "It's moving forward expeditiously," a senior administration official told reporters in a briefing call, referring to the agreement last month between the leaders of the United States, India, Japan and Australia, a grouping known as the Quad. A fact sheet issued after the countries held a virtual summit in March said the United States, through its International Development Finance Corp, would work to finance Indian drugmaker Biological E Ltd to produce at least 1 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses by the end of 2022.