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‘Hope to get more vaccines’: Nepal envoy on India's export resumption plan
India sent around 1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines as grant to Nepal.
Nepal's envoy to India Nilambar Acharya on Wednesday lauded India's decision to resume export of vaccines against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) from October onward.
Acharya said India sent around 1 million Covid-19 vaccines to Nepal as grants while it purchased close to 2 million Covishield vaccines from Pune-based Serum Institute of India.
“We hope that with start of Vaccine Maitri and supply of vaccines from Oct, we'll be able to get more vaccines,” Acharya was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Union health and family welfare minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said India will resume export of Covid-19 vaccines under its ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative to fulfil the country's commitmment towards COVAX.
COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and World Health Organisation (WHO), and aims at equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, particularly focusing on the low and middle income countries.
Soon after the announcement, Gavi expressed its willingness to engage with the Indian government and Pune-based Serum Institute of India. “Our priority right now is to engage with the government of India and Serum Institute of India to understand the impact this will have on our supply schedule, as we race to protect as many vulnerable people as we can from Covid-19,” a Gavi spokesperson said on Tuesday.
India exported around 66.4 million doses of Covishield and Covaxin to 95 countries till April this year, including Nepal, until after the deadly second wave of Covid-19 disease wreaked havoc in the country and almost destabilised its healthcare system. The Indian vaccine supplies included grants, commercial export and doses for the COVAX facility.
India halted its vaccine export in April as it faced severe shortage of vaccines amid a deadly second wave of Covid-19 infection. "We expect the vaccine supply to resume, including the one million doses. We have also received assistance for Oxygen plant setup and medicine in the fight against Covi-19," Acharya was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
