US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP CHANGES COURSE, SUPPORTS INDIA'S STAND ON HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE!

US President Donald Trump has changed course and  supported the Narendra Modi-led government's stand on hydroxychloroquine. He has also praised India's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I bought millions of doses. More than 29 million. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi, a lot of it comes out of India. I asked him if he would release it? He was great. He was really good. You know they put a stop because they wanted it for India. But there is a lot of good things coming from that. A lot of people looking at it and saying, you know I don’t hear bad stories, I hear good stories. And I don’t hear anything where it was causing death. So it is not something like….You know we are doing vaccines. Johnson and Johnson, they need to test that. It seems malaria-affected counties are unaffected where it is common," Trump was quoted as saying in an interview to Fox News by Hindustan Times.

India on Tuesday lifted a partial ban on the export hydroxychloroquine to help neighbouring countries and countries that are most affected by the pandemic. 

While President Trump had on Monday talked about possible retaliation if India turned down the US' request to lift the ban on hydroxychloroquine, a report by Hindustan Times states that  India had already informed the State Department about the change in drug policy much earlier.

“We don’t want to be bracketed with China when the world is facing the pandemic. We have commitments and responsibility to countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and all those who are dependent on Indian drugs,” a senior government official was quoted as saying by HT.