India will begin supply of Covid-19 vaccines being manufactured in the country to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles from Wednesday.
Bhutan is the first country to receive India’s gift of Covishield vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, said sources. A consignment containing 1,50,000 doses of the vaccine have reached Thimphu.
India has so far provided essential medicines and medical supplies—including Paracetamol, HCQ, PPEs, N95 masks, x-ray machines and test kits worth over Rs. 2.8 crore—to Bhutan. India has also entered into an ‘Air Travel Arrangement’ or ‘Transport Bubble’ agreement with Bhutan.
India is awaiting confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances concerning the supply of medicines in respect of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius. The Ministry of External Affairs said in a release on Tuesday that the government had received requests for the supply of the vaccines from neighbouring and key partner countries.
“In response to these requests, and in keeping with India’s stated commitment to use India’s vaccine production and delivery capacity to help all of humanity fight the Covid pandemic, supplies of Covid-19 vaccines under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles will begin from January 20, 2021. In respect of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius, we are awaiting their confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances,” the release said. India has given emergency use authorisation to two COVID-19 vaccines being manufactured in the country – Covishield and Covaxin. While Covishield has been developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, Covaxin is an indigenous vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR.
