The US underlines the importance of close cooperation with India to combat Coronavirus

United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Tuesday held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during which the former underlined the importance of continued close cooperation between the US and India to combat the novel Coronavirus by strengthening global pharmaceutical supply chains.

Taking to Twitter, Pompeo wrote, “Good call today with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on the US India partnership.Our close cooperation is imperative to combat the coronavirus, including strengthening global pharmaceutical and healthcare manufacturing and supply chains,” tweeted the US Secretary of State.

US Department of State's Spokesperson, Morgan Ortagus, said during his call with S Jaishankar, Pompeo also reiterated the unwavering commitment to working with India to advance peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe.

The death count from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the US has increased to 3,415 and infection tally is 175,067. Coronavirus cases are continuing to surge giving rise to fears of a potential US drug supply shortage prompted by the coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, the total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 1,397 after 146 new patients were reported in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday.

India's ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, on Monday said India and the US are maintaining strong and robust cooperation of medical specialists in the fight against coronavirus.

Earlier this week, the US had announced financial assistance of 274 million US Dollars to 64 countries including 2.9 million US Dollars to India to help the countries in their fight against coronavirus.

Courtesy: NDTV