WHO chief thanks Mansukh Mandaviya for resuming ‘Vaccine Maitri’

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday thanked India for resuming its vaccine shipments to other countries.

In a tweet, the WHO chief said, “Thank you Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for announcing India will resume crucial COVID vaccine shipments to COVAX in Oct. This is an important development in support of reaching a 40 per cent vaccination target in all countries by the end of the year.”

On Tuesday, Union Health Minister Mandaviya said that India will resume its services of exporting surplus COVID-19 vaccines to needy nations under its ‘Vaccine Maitri‘ programme. Speaking to reporters, Mandaviya said that the government will receive 30 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines in October and over 100 crore doses in the quarter from October-December.

Also read: J&J’s COVID booster shot rapidly multiplies antibodies, company says

“India will be resuming the export of COVID-19 vaccines under Vaccine Maitri in order to fulfil the commitment of India towards COVAX in line with our motto of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’… The surplus supply of vaccines will be used to fulfil India’s commitment towards the world for the collective fight against COVID-19,” Mandaviya said.

Earlier, India administered as many as 2.50 crore vaccines in one single day on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. According to the Union Health Ministry, a total of 82 crore vaccines have been administered throughout the country as of Tuesday, September 21.

India’s ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative was widely appreciated by the global community. The government, however, halted the programme after the second wave of COVID-19 highlighted the need for vaccinating India’s own population before reaching out to the world.