These pictures are a terrifying reminder of scenes from a year ago in Italy and New York. This time, there is an additional cause for concern. India’s pivotal role in international vaccine manufacturing and the speed at which the virus is spreading means that the international community should treat this as an urgent global crisis.
One crucial lesson learned throughout the last year is that the pandemic knows no borders. Rising numbers in India pose a severe threat to populations worldwide.
Turning talk into action
The United States and India seem to have rediscovered their friendship, especially under a revitalized “Quad.” However, over the past week, Indians were left perplexed by the deafening silence from top US officials and their apparent reluctance to assist India, with social media posts imploring the US to come to India’s aid.
After initial shortfalls, the United States has fully vaccinated some 30% of Americans and partially vaccinated more than 42%, but it is hoarding vaccines far beyond its needs. Moreover, it has excess testing supply kits and PPE, which it can donate to India to help tackle its surge.
Invoking the Defense Production Act allowed the US government to prioritize its domestic needs and restrict overseas exports of COVID-19-related materials. The Biden administration’s recent decision to aid India is welcome news, but it is unclear how soon its assistance will reach Indian shores. It is in the United States’ strategic and humanitarian interests to help India get through this crisis, and it has the technical know-how, resources and capacity to do so.
Russia, with which the United States wants India to decrease its engagement, has agreed to supply India with medical oxygen and Remdesivir. Additionally, India will soon begin producing its Sputnik V vaccine. Russia’s critical aid will further strengthen its image with Indian policymakers who feel ambivalent about the US.
How Israel can help
Many smaller countries such as Singapore, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are already helping India by exporting oxygen cylinders, containers, plants and other essential materials.
Beyond such emergency measures, Israel, a world leader in health-tech innovations, can step up to establish rapid COVID-19 testing sites and set up field hospitals in hotspots across the country to lessen the load on India’s healthcare system. Israel’s know-how and recent experience from its vaccination campaign can help scale up India’s medical and digital healthcare infrastructure to meet current and future demand.
The current wave is estimated to be several weeks from its peak. Still, it is already clear that a substantial, ongoing logistical effort will be necessary not only to save lives in India but to prevent further spread to other parts of the world.
India’s battle has consequences for the rest of the world. As new mutant strains emerge unabated, there is a growing concern that vaccines could become less effective in the long run. Therefore, all countries, large and small, should help India weather this storm. Simultaneously, the responsibility lies with the Indian government to implement effective policies and deliver on its health agenda.
Initially prioritizing export over its domestic vaccination push, India has played an essential role in helping countries deal with the pandemic by exporting more than 65 million vaccines to over 95 countries. But now, even a vaccination rate of almost three million doses per day appears to be insufficient to overcome the surge in cases.
The world is dependent on India to churn out low-cost vaccines to tackle COVID-19. An inability to access necessary raw materials will not only hamper India’s domestic vaccination campaign but also set back vaccination efforts in the developing world. With its advanced medical know-how and close relations to India, Israel should lend any assistance possible. Such a gesture will not be forgotten in India.
Dr. Gedaliah Afterman is head of the Asia Policy Program at the Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. Piyush Singh is a Mumbai-based public policy consultant and an Asia Fellow at the AEI Asia Policy Program.