While issuing a travel advisory, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price has said that the United States is "very closely" tracking the course of the recent COVID-19 surge in India.
"There are protocols in place, requiring testing for international travel. What is true is that we are tracking the course of the COVID outbreak in India very closely as I mentioned before, Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Jaishankar did discuss it yesterday," Price said in a statement yesterday.
"We are committed to doing what we can both at the present. And going forward, to see to it that this virus is brought under control and I spoke again of our engagement with the who are funding to COVAX, the Quad arrangement that of course implicates. What we're seeing in India," he added.
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned travellers against heading for India even if they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has put India on the 'red list' hours after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancelled his visit to India
Yesterday, The Biden administration had conveyed to New Delhi that it understands India's pharmaceutical requirements and promised to give the matter due consideration, observing that the current difficulty in the export of critical raw materials needed to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines is mainly due to an Act that forces American companies to prioritise domestic consumption.
Since the US has ramped up the production of COVID-19 vaccines mostly by Pfizer and Moderna to meet the goal of vaccinating its entire population by July 4, the suppliers of its raw material, which is in high demand globally and sought after by major Indian manufacturers, are being forced to provide it only for domestic manufacturers.