India likely to give coronavirus vaccine to neighbours within few weeks as part of diplomatic outreach

18-01-2021

After kicking off pan-India coronavirus vaccination drive, the Central government plans to ship off doses of Covid-19 vaccine to neighbouring nations as part of vaccine diplomacy in a couple of weeks. Nepal, Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Mauritius are likely to first benefit from India's vaccine shipment and begin vaccination programme in their own countries.
While the initial shipments would be a goodwill gesture, the concerned countries subsequently would get the vaccine on a payment basis from either Bharat Biotech or the Serum Institute of India. Brazil�s Fiocruz Institute has also signed up a deal with Pune�s Serum Institute. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, South Africa have followe suit. Bangladesh and Myanmar have already declared that it has signed up with Serum Institute for vaccines. India has also promised the Sri Lankan leadership to make the vaccines available to them. The countries would not be burdened with huge charges as will be able to procure the vaccine at a similar price as Indians.

Countries to need export clearance from Indian govt
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The foreign countries, however, need export clearance from the Indian�s Government�s National Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) headed by Dr VK Paul of Niti Aayog. Brazil has ordered vaccines from Bharat Biotech after Brazilian regulating agency, ANVISA said the Chinese vaccine Sinovac had only a 50 per cent efficacy rate. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite a shipment of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine amid broader delays to the vaccine's arrival in Brazil. "To enable the immediate implementation of our National Immunization Program, I would appreciate the supply to Brazil, with the possible urgency and without jeopardizing the Indian vaccination program, of 2 million doses," Bolsonaro wrote in the letter, shared by his press office.