India is willing to supply Covishield and Covaxin to other countries, said Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday.
In a meeting with the ambassadors of Latin American and Caribbean Nations, he said: “India is driven by the philosophy of ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’, which has inspired us to give Covid vaccines, HCQ (hydroxychloroquine) and other medical necessities to our friends.”
The Minister said that the country has administered nearly 1.2 billion doses, with 82 per cent of Indians receiving at least one dose of the vaccine and 44 per cent of them being fully vaccinated.
He said Indian vaccination is being recognised by 110 countries at present. Mutual recognition of vaccination increases ease of travel for tourism and business, thereby boosting economic recovery the world so desperately needs, he added.
He further stated that the country supplied HCQ tablets and other medical equipment to 27 countries. Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, 6.63 crore doses were sent to 95 countries.
CoWIN technology
Meanwhile, the Minister also noted that more than 70 million tele-consultations have been recorded in eSanjeevani, India’s flagship telemedicine portal.
He said that with India’s expertise in Information Technology, the country could quickly deploy the CoWIN platform for its vaccination programme.
He added that the country has already shared the technology with partner nations willing to adopt the technology, and will help all nations looking to scale up their vaccination.
In addition, Pharma Secretary, S Aparna, emphasised on the fact that India, with more than 700 production sites, was the largest producer of pharmaceutical formulations, next only to the US.