So far, 68 countries received COVID-19 vaccines manufactured in India: MEA

New Delhi: India has supplied 58 million doses of covid-19 vaccines to 68 countries around the world. Out of these 68, India has sold the vaccine to 15 countries on a purely commercial basis, according to the site of Ministry of External Affairs.

The Break-up:

So far, 68 countries have received #COVID19 vaccines manufactured in India:

– 35 as grant aid (8 million doses)
– 15 on a purely commercial basis (34 million sold total)
– 18 through COVAX only (16 million total provided)https://t.co/NYClTYQ34I pic.twitter.com/YjBawUSwG2

— Dhruva Jaishankar (@d_jaishankar) March 12, 2021

India has supplied 80 lakh doses to 35 countries as a granted aid, while 3,4 crores doses have been sold on a purely commercial basis to 15 countries. India has supplied 1.6 crore doses to 18 countries under the COVAX initiative of World Health Organisation (WHO).

Indian vaccines CovidShield and Covaxin are the two vaccines approved in the country, where CovidShileld is the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute of India. Covaxin has been developed by Bharat Biotech and Indian Council of Medical Research.

India is set to give a petition to World Trade Organisation to suspend the ‘Intellectual Property Protections’ in the case of vaccines. India believes this move will expand the access of poor countries to these life-saving shots.

International Leaders

Recently there were billboards seen in Canada thanking PM Modi and India after they received the vaccines. WHO chief also tweeted, “Thank you, India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for your continued support to global Covid-19 response. Only if we act together, including sharing of knowledge, can we stop this virus and save lives and livelihoods.”