American civil rights activist Rev Jesse Jackson urges Biden to give AstraZeneca vaccine to India

American civil rights activist Rev Jesse Jackson has announced plans to personally talk to US President Joe Biden and urge him to send 60 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses to India as the South Asian country battles a covid crisis.

His request has come as the AstraZeneca vaccine has not been approved by the US and expected to not get a nod from the Biden administration anytime soon.

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“They are human beings. As the wind blows, if we don't stop it today, it'll spread around the world,” Jackson said.

He decided to make this request as Biden had said he intends to give the AstraZeneca vaccine shots to other countries who are in need of it.

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Jackson believes mass vaccination programmes seem to be the only way India can come out of this coronavirus crisis. Other Indian-Americans have also shared Jackson’s sentiments.

“It is everyone's duty to help India flatten this COVID-19 surge as we live in a world that cannot be separated by borders,” said Dr Vijay Prabhakar, the chairman of American Association of Multiethnic Physicians.

Some experts have also raised concerns about a steep increase in covid death toll in the country. “Based on the current projections some of the models are suggesting, there may be 1 million deaths by the end of August. As we know, that would be a tragic humanitarian crisis,” said Dr Srinivas Reddy, the trustee of Chicago Medical Society.