Top officials in the government, on conditions of anonymity, said on Wednesday that India will send 4.5 crore doses of home-made covid-19 vaccines to Pakistan under an agreement with vaccine alliance, GAVI.
GAVI is a public–private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunisation.
Sources further informed that 1.6 crore doses will be provided by June this year.
“India is open for any humanitarian help to Pakistan. More vaccine will be given directly. Decision on this will be taken soon,” added officials, who did not want to be identified.
Pakistan’s drug regulator, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, had approved Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use in January this year. This was the first Covid-19 vaccine to be granted approval.
While bilateral trade between India and Pakistan has been adversely impacted with the deterioration in ties in 2019, the supply of “life-saving medicines” is exempt and can be done through the bilateral route.
Pakistan plans to inoculate at least 70 percent of its 220 million people against Covid free of cost. China has pledged to donate 5,00,000 doses of the Sinopharm.
A total of 27.5m people, including frontline workers and senior citizens, have been vaccinated against Covid-19 in Pakistan, Federal secretary of the Ministry of national health services regulations and coordination Aamir Ashraf Khawaja said in a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Meanwhile, India has so far supplied vaccines to 65 countries.
Ministry of External Affairs states that, 579.19 lakh doses have been supplied in all. About 163 lakh doses have been supplied under Covax, 77 lakh doses under grant and 338 lakh doses under commercial deals.
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