India to begin supplying Covid-19 vaccines to Bangladesh, 5 others, from tomorrow

India today announced that Covid-19 vaccine supplies under grant assistance to six countries, including Bangladesh, will begin from tomorrow but made it clear that supply to other countries would be calibrated against domestic requirements and international demand and obligations, including under WHO's global vaccine alliance facility.

The Ministry of External Affairs said India's immunisation programme was "being implemented, as in other countries, in a phased manner to cover healthcare providers, frontline workers and the most vulnerable. Keeping in view the domestic requirements of the phased rollout, India will continue to supply Covid-19 vaccines to partner countries over the coming weeks and months in a phased manner.

"It will be ensured that domestic manufacturers will have adequate stocks to meet domestic requirements while supplying abroad," the ministry said in a statement this evening.

It said that for vaccine supplies to Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius, India is "awaiting their confirmation of necessary regulatory clearances."

The MEA said the government of India has received several requests for supply of Indian manufactured vaccines from neighbouring and key partner countries.

"In response to these requests, and in keeping with India's stated commitment to use India's vaccine production and delivery capacity to help all of humanity fight the Covid pandemic, supplies under grant assistance to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles will begin from January 20 2021," it said.

Prior to the delivery of vaccines, a training programme, covering administrative and operational aspects, is being conducted on January 19-20 for immunisation managers, cold chain officers, communication officers and data managers of the recipient countries, both at national and provincial levels, the MEA said.