Key Points:
- India decided to export Covid-19 vaccines ‘free of cost’ to its neighbouring countries as a ‘goodwill’ gesture.
- The first batch of vaccines will be delivered to Bhutan that shares the North-Eastern border with India.
- The first batch of 150,000 doses of the Oxford University and AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine, manufactured by Serum Institute of India, will reach Thimpu on Wednesday morning.
- Maldives also opened a registration drive for COVID-19 vaccination on Monday.
- The Bangladesh foreign ministry has already announced that the country will be receiving 2,00,000 doses from India.
On Monday, India decided to export Covid-19 vaccines ‘free of cost’ to its neighbouring countries as a ‘goodwill’ gesture. 2 Indian vaccines have been approved after successful trials on January 3 – Covishield and Covaxin. While Covishield is Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), Covaxin is manufactured by Bharat Biotech, and co-developed with the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (parent ministry of the Department of Pharmaceuticals) met the representatives of Bharat Biotech and SII to discuss the export plan.
The first batch of vaccines will be delivered to Bhutan that shares the North-Eastern border with India. The first batch of 150,000 doses of the Oxford University and AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine, manufactured by Serum Institute of India, will reach Thimpu on Wednesday morning. The second will reach Male international airport at around 2 pm with 100,000 doses of Covishield.
Maldives also opened a registration drive for COVID-19 vaccination on Monday. India’s immediate supply will be for emergency use for frontline workers, people with co-morbidities and the elderly in the population. Besides, Maldives has also been pledged 4,00,000 doses of vaccine under COVAX. Separately, Maldives government has also signed an agreement with AstraZeneca Singapore, for vaccine supply.
“GoI (Government of India) has announced that they will provide vaccines for free and if we have to procure vaccines then His Majesty has said he would even provide from his personal resources,” PM Tshering was quoted by The Bhutanese.
“If we have to buy the vaccines then we may to spend $6 million. His Majesty was informed by the GoI that they value the old ties with Bhutan and will help Bhutan. We have told GoI that we plan to vaccinate the whole eligible population in one go and they said they understand,” PM Tshering said.
Not just Bhutan and Maldives, but, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, Oman, Myanmar, Philippines, Bahrain, Maldives and Mauritius too will receive Free Vaccines from India. The Bangladesh foreign ministry has already announced that the country will be receiving 2,00,000 doses from India.
