Nepal, Bangladesh get COVID-19 vaccine consignments from India

India on Thursday delivered two million doses of Covishield vaccines to Bangladesh and one million doses to Nepal under grants assistance.

It is learnt that a consignment containing 1.5 million doses of Covishield vaccines will be sent to Myanmar while 50,000 doses will reach Seychelles and another shipment of 1,00,000 doses is slated to arrive in Mauritius on Friday.

“Nepal receives Indian vaccines. Putting neighbours first, putting people first!,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Twitter.

“Touchdown in Dhaka. #VaccineMaitri reaffirms the highest priority accorded by India to relations with Bangladesh,” he said in another tweet, along with a photograph of the Air India flight that carried the consignments to Dhaka.

In a major announcement, India on Tuesday had said it will send COVID-19 vaccines under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles from Wednesday and supplies to Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius will commence after confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances.

India is one of the world’s biggest drugmakers, and an increasing number of countries have already approached it for procuring coronavirus vaccines.

The MEA said it will be ensured that domestic manufacturers will have adequate stocks to meet domestic requirements while supplying abroad.

(Edits by EP News Bureau)