India Has Sent Over Six Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses To Nine Countries

India has sent more than six million COVID-19 vaccine doses to nine countries under its “vaccine diplomacy."?

The country informed the UN Security Council that it will supply vaccines to the Covax facility of the World Health Organisation and undertake contractual supplies to various countries in a phased manner.?

PTI

As the largest vaccine-producing country of the world, we are fulfilling our commitment to make our vaccine production and delivery capacity available for the benefit of the entire humanity,” India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu said.

Supply to Covax facility of the WHO

Speaking at the UNSC briefing on ‘Maintenance of international peace and security: Follow-up on the implementation of resolution 2532’, Naidu informed the dignitaries that two vaccines have already been granted approval for emergency use in India and the country plans to vaccinate about 300 million citizens in the first six months.

PTI

Resolution 2532 (2020), adopted in July 2020, expressed support for the Secretary-General’s appeal for a global ceasefire to help unite efforts to fight COVID-19 in the world’s most vulnerable countries.

“We have already airlifted more than six million doses to nine countries in Phase-I as grant assistance. Contractual supplies to various countries are also being undertaken in a phased manner. We will also gradually supply to the Covax facility of the WHO,” Naidu said, adding that India has also provided training to several partner countries to strengthen their clinical capabilities, as well as to enhance their capacities for vaccine administration.

PTI

Covax is a global initiative to ensure rapid and impartial access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, regardless of income level. Last week, Covax had announced that, pending WHO emergency use listings, nearly 150 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford candidate are anticipated to be available in the first quarter of 2021, via existing agreements with the Serum Institute of India (SII) and AstraZeneca.

“In the spirit of South-South cooperation, through the USD 150 million India-UN Development Partnership Fund, we have responded to member states’ requests for COVID-19 related assistance,” Naidu said.