India has been long known as the pharmacy to the world. While the world is grappling with Covid, Vaccines give us hope. However, supply is limited and has been mostly focussed on the richer countries. It is when, India has come forward to supply Vaccines to the other half of the world.
India’s Approved Vaccines. India has so far approved two covid vaccines namely Covishield and Covaxin. Covishield is developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca and developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), whereas Covaxin is developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech.
Vaccine Maitri. Vaccine Maitri is a humanitarian initiative undertaken by the Indian government to provide Made-in-India vaccines to other countries around the world. 20 January 2021 onwards, the Indian government started supplying Indian made vaccines to different nations based on the requests received. These countries in the immediate neighbourhood include Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles. The initiative also involves supplying vaccines to nations of the global south, such as Argentina, Brazil and South Africa. key partner nations in the Indian Ocean. The doses have also been distributed as gifts - in line with New Delhi's Neighbourhood First policy.
Vaccine Maitri Policy to Syria. Recently, at the UN General Assembly India has pledged to extend help to vaccinate Syria through the Vaccine Maitri policy, as Syria is facing a dire situation compounded by COVID-19, winterisation and food insecurity.
Brief about WHO's COVAX Scheme. COVAX is a deal between WHO and the vaccine maker Pfizer-BioNTech for 40 million doses for poorer countries. Its initial aim is to immunize the most vulnerable 20% of poorer coronavirus-threatened nations.
Vaccine Production and Supply. India produces 60 per cent of vaccines manufactured in the world. The SII is churning out over 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine a day. As of 25 March 2021, supply of the 'Made-in-India' vaccine to 77 nations has been made by the Indian government under which approximately 61 million Covid vaccine doses have been delivered either under the World Health Organization-backed COVAX mechanism as part of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) or as part of commercial deals.
Supply Commitment by Serum Institute World's largest vaccine maker by volume has agreed to produce 1.1 billion doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine - known in India as Covishield.
Concerns Over Vaccine Diplomacy. India's vaccine diplomacy is being questioned with concerns that the country is sending more COVID-19 inoculations abroad than what is being administered at home. However, India's Foreign Minister has clarified that the domestic requirement of the vaccines is being monitored continuously even as India sends vaccines to friendly nations across the globe. The supply of vaccines abroad is based on the assessment of adequate availability at home. Domestic requirements are leading to ‘re-calibration of vaccine export. There has been a recalibration of export shipments because the government has widened the vaccination program to include citizens above 45 years. Earlier. It was restricted vaccination to citizens above 60 years of age besides the frontline workers.
Current Statistics of Vaccine Export. As of 25 March 2021, the Government of India has exported around 60 million doses of COVISHIELD vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India to more than 76 nations. Details are as under:-
|
Recipient Country |
Doses |
Recipient Country |
Doses |
|
United Nations |
2,00,000 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
40,000 |
|
Bangladesh |
102,00,000 |
Suriname |
50,000 |
|
Myanmar |
37,00,000 |
Antigua and Barbuda |
40,000 |
|
Nepal |
20,00,000 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
17,16,000 |
|
Bhutan |
1,50,000 |
Angola |
6,24,000 |
|
Maldives |
2,00,000 |
Nigeria |
39,24,000 |
|
Mauritius |
2,00,000 |
Cambodia |
3,24,000 |
|
Seychelles |
50,000 |
Kenya |
10,20,000 |
|
Sri Lanka |
10,00,000 |
Lesotho |
36,000 |
|
Bahrain |
1,00,000 |
Rwanda |
2,40,000 |
|
Brazil |
40,00,000 |
Senegal |
3,24,000 |
|
Morocco |
70,00,000 |
Guatemala |
5,24,000 |
|
Oman |
1,00,000 |
Canada |
5,00,000 |
|
Egypt |
50,000 |
Iran |
1,50,000 |
|
Algeria |
50,000 |
Guyana |
80,000 |
|
South Africa |
10,00,000 |
Benin |
1,44,000 |
|
Kuwait |
2,00,000 |
Eswatini |
37,000 |
|
United Arab Emirates |
2,00,000 |
Jamaica |
50,000 |
|
Afghanistan |
5,00,000 |
Bahamas |
20,000 |
|
Barbados |
1,00,000 |
Uzbekistan |
660,000 |
|
Mexico |
8,70,000 |
Saint Lucia |
25,000 |
|
Dominican Republic |
50,000 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis |
20,000 |
|
Dominica |
50,000 |
Ivory Coast |
4,50,000 |
|
Saudi Arabia |
30,00,000 |
|
|
|
El Salvador |
20,000 |
|
|
|
Argentina |
5,80,000 |
|
|
|
Serbia |
1,50,000 |
|
|
|
Mongolia |
1,50,000 |
|
|
|
Ukraine |
5,00,000 |
|
|
|
Ghana |
6,00,000 |
|
|
Appreciation by Global Leaders
International Organizations
- WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom has thanked India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sharing the crucial commodity, Covid-19 vaccine, across the world in pandemic-ridden times.
- IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath lauded India for playing a key role during the crisis by dispatching vaccines to many countries.
Countries
- Jamaica of the OACPS has thanked Indian efforts in delivering vaccines to developing and least developed countries.
- St. Lucia on behalf of CARICOM thanked India for providing vaccine supplies to them.
- Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei thanked the Prime Minister of India and External Affair Minister of India for accepting the call of assistance to supply Covishield vaccines from India.
- Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley thanked the Prime Minister of India for the supply of 'Made in India' COVID-19 vaccines.
- Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne had thanked the Prime Minister of India for demonstrating an act of benevolence, kindness and empathy for sending vaccines to Caribbean countries.
- After India sent 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Canada, billboards with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thanking India were put up in the Greater Toronto area.
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