Serum India’s Covishield part of Pakistan’s Covid-jab drive under vaccine alliance

Around seven million of AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine doses, made-in-India, will be the part of Pakistan's free Covid-19 vaccination drive starting next week under the global Covax alliance, according to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's special assistant on health Dr Faisal Sultan.

"Though AstraZeneca is being prepared in India, it will come through Covax, an international alliance which has announced free vaccines for 20% of Pakistan's population. DRAP (Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan) has already registered both Sinopharm and AstraZeneca," Dr Sultan said,  The Times of India reported.

The UN Covax initiative will see India selling about 100 lakh doses of vaccines. In addition, the UN will be buying about 4 lakh doses for its own workers all over the world.

India's vaccine diplomacy took further wing with 1 lakh anti-Covid shots being sent to Oman, a close partner in the Gulf, after having supplied the jabs to immediate neighbours.

Later this week, India is scheduled to send over 5 lakh doses to Afghanistan.

India will also send 2 lakh doses to Nicaragua, 1 lakh to Barbados, 70,000 to Dominica and 1.5 lakh to Mongolia, though dates are yet to be finalised.

Egypt, Algeria, UAE and Kuwait have all purchased vaccines and are on the commercial export list. Apart from the gifts, Mongolia (10 lakh) Nicaragua (3 lakh), Saudi Arabia (30 lakh), Myanmar and Bangladesh are among those who have contracted to purchase vaccines from India. The purchases are made commercially but need export clearance from the Indian government.

Meanwhile, around seven million made-in-India doses of AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine will be part of Pakistan's free Covid-19 vaccination drive starting next week under the global Covax alliance, PM Imran Khan's special assistant on health Dr Faisal Sultan said on Sunday.