New Delhi (NVI): A consignment of 5,00,000 doses of Indian made Covid-19 vaccine reached Afghanistan today, in continuation of India’s humanitarian assistance to the country amid the pandemic.
“Made in India vaccines reach Afghanistan. Stand with our friends, always,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted.
Made in India vaccines reach Afghanistan. Stand with our friends, always. #VaccineMaitri pic.twitter.com/bONIWho149
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) February 7, 2021
The consignment was sent to Afghanistan by a Mumbai-Delhi-Kabul Air India flight this morning which landed in the Afghan capital around the afternoon.
Waheed Majroh, Acting Minister of Public Health, Afghanistan received the vaccine consignment from Cd’A Raghuram S at the Hamid Karzai International Airport, the Indian Embassy in Kabul said in a statement.
“India had earlier gifted more than 20 MT of Covid-19 medicines to Afghanistan. India had also extended humanitarian assistance of 75,000 MT of wheat through Chabahar Port to strengthen food security of Afghanistan,” read a statement by the Indian Embassy.
The vaccines have been manufactured by Serum Institute of India, Pune and arrived in Kabul by an Air India flight. India is the first responder to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to Afghanistan, it said.
“India has so far supplied over 55 lakh doses of vaccines to our neighbouring countries and in the extended neighborhood. India is the largest producer of vaccines in the region and about 60% of global vaccine production comes from India. Apart from COVID-19 vaccines, India is the largest supplier of the DPT, BCG and Measles vaccines globally. WHO sources 70% of its essential immunisation vaccines from India,” read the embassy statement.
Under its ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative, India has supplied Covid vaccines to neighbouring countries and key partner countries including Myanmar, Maldives, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.
-ARK
