India Supplied 67 Lakh Covid19 Vaccines As Grant And 2.94 Crore Vaccines On Commercial Basis To Various Countries

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday that India has provided 67.5 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccines as grant assistance and 294.44 lakh doses on commercial basis to various countries, reports Hindustan Times.

MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that domestic requirements for the national vaccination programme are kept in mind while continuing the supply of vaccines to countries in the coming weeks and months in a phased manner.

"As of now, we have provided a total of 361.94 lakh doses to various countries. This includes 67.5 lakh doses supplied under grant assistance and 294.44 lakh doses under various commercial contracts," he said.

About the meeting held on 18 February with ten neighbouring countries, Srivastava said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a special visa scheme for doctors and nurses, a regional Air Ambulance agreement for medical contingencies, creation of a regional platform for collating, compiling and studying data about the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines.

India has also offered locally-made vaccines to all members of UN agencies, intergovernmental organisations, diplomatic corps and their families based in the country.

India, one of the world's biggest drugmakers, has sent consignments of anti-coronavirus vaccine doses as gifts to countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Oman, Afghanistan, Barbados and Dominica.

Countries which received vaccines on a commercial basis include Brazil, Morocco, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Egypt, Algeria, South Africa, Kuwait and the UAE.