Under the “Vaccine Maitri” initiative, India on Thursday sent six lakh doses of its coronavirus vaccine, ‘Covishield’, to Sri Lanka and Bahrain.
After receiving the vaccines, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa tweeted: “Received 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines provided by people of India at BIA today (28). Thank you! PM Shri Narendra Modi and people of India for the generosity shown towards People of Sri Lanka at this time in need.”
This comes days after Sri Lanka’s drug regulatory body — National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA)–gave a go-ahead to Oxford Astrazeneca’s vaccine.
Bahrain has received 1 lakh Covishield vaccine developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII) as a gift from India.
“Bahrain receives Made-in-India vaccines. A testimony to our long-standing fraternal ties,” tweeted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Countries that have received a supply of COVID-19 vaccines from India under the Neighbourhood First policy, include Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Earlier, the External Affairs Ministry said that India has gifted over 55 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccine to neighbouring countries so far.
Addressing a weekly briefing on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India plans to gift vaccines doses to Oman, CARICOM countries, Nicaragua, Pacific Island states.
“From January 20, 2021, onward, we have gifted over 55 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccines to our neighbouring countries and in the extended neighbourhood–1.5 lakh to Bhutan, 1 lakh to Maldives, Mauritius and Bahrain, 10 lakhs to Nepal, 20 lakhs to Bangladesh, 15 lakhs to Myanmar, 50,000 to Seychelles, 5 lakh to Sri Lanka.
“In the coming days, we plan to gift further quantity to Oman that is of 1 lakh doses, 5 lakh doses to CARICOM countries. 2 lakhs to Nicaragua, 2 lakh doses to the Pacific island state,” he said.
These supplies are based on the request of these countries, he added.
India, Srivastava said, plans to commercially export coronavirus vaccine to Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Canada, Mongolia and other countries.