India sent 5.6 mn coronavirus vaccines to foreign nations as gift: MEA

India provided 56 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccines under grants assistance to a number of countries while 100 lakh doses were sent under commercial supplies, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Indian vaccines are scheduled to reach the Caribbean countries, Pacific Island states, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Mongolia, in the coming weeks.

"We have so far supplied vaccines to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Brazil, Morocco, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Algeria, Kuwait and South Africa," he said at a media briefing.

"Supplies made under grant amount to 56 lakh doses and commercial supplies amount to over 100 lakh doses," he added.

Srivastava said external supplies of vaccines are an ongoing process, depending on availability and domestic requirements.

"In the coming weeks, Indian vaccines are scheduled to reach CARICOM countries (the Caribbean), Pacific Island States, Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Mongolia etc," he said.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is a grouping of 20 island nations which are home to approximately 16 million people.

In a major announcement, India on January 19 said it will send COVID-19 vaccines under grant assistance to several countries, including Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius.

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

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