Vaccine Maitri

Countries that received doses of the Indian-made Covishield and Covaxin as of 6 March 2021

Vaccine Maitri (English: Vaccine Friendship) is a humanitarian initiative undertaken by the Indian government to provide COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world. Indian government had started providing vaccines since January 20, 2021. As of 9 April 2021, India had delivered around 64.5 million doses of vaccines to 85 countries. Of these, 10.5 million doses were gifted to 45 countries by the Government of India. The remaining 54 million were supplied by the Serum Institute of India under its commercial and COVAX obligations.

While speaking at the UN General Assembly high-level panel on the human rights situation in Syria, India pledged help the United Nations to vaccinate Syria through the Vaccine Maitri policy, as Syria is facing a dire situation compounded by COVID-19, winterisation and food insecurity.

200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were gifted by India to the UN peacekeepers on March 27 to be distributed to all peacekeeping missions.

Vaccines

India has two approved COVID-19 vaccines: Covishield and Covaxin. The Government of India supplied both the vaccines to various countries across the globe.

Covishield vaccine (AZD1222)

Covaxin

On 2 January 2021, BBV152 (marketed as Covaxin), first Indian vaccine, developed by Bharat Biotech in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology received approval from the Drug Controller General of India for its emergency or conditional usage. However, this approval was met with some concern as the vaccine had not then completed phase-3 trials. On 3 March 2021, Bharat Biotech announced that interim results of covaxin showed the 81% efficacy. Trial was conducted on the 25,800 people in India.

Covishield

On 1 January 2021, the Drug Controller General of India, approved the emergency or conditional use of Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (marketed as Covishield). Covishield is developed by the University of Oxford and its spin-out company, Vaccitech. It’s a viral vector vaccine based on replication-deficient Adenovirus that causes cold in Chimpanzees. It can be stored, transported and handled at normal refrigerated conditions (two-eight degrees Celsius/ 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit). It has a shelf-life of at least six months.

Vaccine Supply

India kicked off international shipment of the vaccines on 20 January 2021, just after four days of starting its own vaccination program. Bhutan and Maldives were the first countries to receive vaccines as a grant by India. It is quickly followed by shipments to Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Seychelles. As of 15th march 2021 India has donated more than eight million doses to 37 countries all over the world. India is also supplying vaccines on a commercial basis to countries like Canada, UK, Saudi Arabia, etc. Serum Institute of India has been selected to be one of the key suppliers to COVAX initiative to supply cost-effective COVID-19 vaccines. Several million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222 have been supplied by India to various countries through COVAX initiative.

Vaccines Exported

As of 29 March 2021, India has exported the 58 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 65 nations.

Recipient Country	Units	Received date	Notes
United Nations	200,000	27 March 2021	A gift by India for UN peacekeepers reached Copenhagen, Denmark to be distributed to all UN peacekeeping missions.
Bangladesh	9,000,000	January 21, 2021 January 25, 2021 February 22, 2021	70,00,000 as commercial supplies, 20,00,000 as grant assistance
Myanmar	37,00,000
Nepal	2,000,000
Bhutan	150,000	January 20, 2021	The start of Vaccine Maitri
Maldives	200,000
Mauritius	200,000
Seychelles	50,000
Sri Lanka	1,000,000
Bahrain	100,000
Brazil	4,000,000
Morocco	7,000,000	January 22, 2021 February 11, 2021 February 24, 2021
Oman	100,000
Egypt	50,000
Algeria	50,000
South Africa	1,000,000	1 February 2021	Vaccine Suspended due to 501Y.V2
Kuwait	200,000
United Arab Emirates	200,000
Afghanistan	500,000	March 9, 2021
Barbados	100,000
Mexico	870,000
Dominican Republic	50,000
Dominica	50,000
Saudi Arabia	3,000,000
El Salvador	20,000
Argentina	580,000
Serbia	150,000	February 21, 2021
Mongolia	150,000
Ukraine	500,000
Ghana	600,000	February 24, 2021
Ivory Coast	450,000
Saint Lucia	25,000
Saint Kitts and Nevis	20,000
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	40,000
Suriname	50,000
Antigua and Barbuda	40,000
Democratic Republic of the Congo	1,716,000
Angola	624,000
Nigeria	3,924,000	March 2, 2021
Cambodia	324,000
Kenya	1,020,000
Lesotho	36,000
Rwanda	240,000
Senegal	324,000
Guatemala	524,000
Canada	500,000		Only G7 country to receive vaccines under this initiative
Iran	150,000	March 11, 2021
Guyana	80,000	March 7, 2021
Benin		March 11, 2021
Eswatini		March 11, 2021
Jamaica	50,000	March 9, 2021
Bahamas	20,000	March 10, 2021
Uzbekistan	660,000	March 17, 2021
Fiji	100,000	March 29, 2021
Albania	50,000	April 18, 2021

International Reaction

International Organizations

• WHO: WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom has thanked India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sharing the crucial commodity, COVID-19 vaccine, across the world in pandemic-ridden times. He also added that "India's commitment to COVAX and sharing COVID-19 vaccine doses is helping more than 60 countries to start vaccinating their health workers and other priority groups."
• IMF: IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath lauded India for playing a key role during the crisis by dispatching vaccines to many countries. She said "I also want to mention that India really stands out in terms of its vaccine policy. If you look at where exactly is one manufacturing hub for vaccines in the world – that will be India."

Countries

• Jamaica of the OACPS has thanked Indian efforts in delivering vaccines to developing and least developed countries.
• St. Lucia on behalf of CARICOM thanked India for providing vaccine supplies to them.
• Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei thanked the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and External Affair Minister of India S. Jaishankar for accepting the call of assistance to supply Covishield vaccines from India.
• Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the supply of "Made in India" COVID-19 vaccines. She tweeted, "PM Modi made it possible for more than 40,000 persons in Barbados and tens of thousands elsewhere, to receive their 1st dose of COVISHIELD via Vaccine Maitri before receiving his. A genuine demonstration of generosity. Thank you and we wish you continued good health."
• Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne had thanked Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi "for demonstrating an act of benevolence, kindness and empathy", for sending vaccines to Caribbean countries.
• After India sent 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Canada, billboards with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and thanking India were put up in the Greater Toronto area. The billboards hailed the Canada-India friendship .

Other Institutions

• Dr Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said "The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine is 'India's gift' to the world in combating coronavirus and will be remembered as a time when the country stepped up in a major way as a global player in innovation [and] the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines by India in collaboration with leading global institutions has 'rescued the world' from the deadly coronavirus and the contributions by the country must not be underestimated."

Leaders who received vaccines provided by India

• Cambodia – Heng Samrin, Say Chhum
• Nepal – KP Sharma Oli

Gallery

COVID-19 vaccine from India arrives at Seychelles.

Delivery of Covishield COVID-19 vaccine from India to Brazil

Delivery of Covishield COVID-19 vaccine from India to Brazil

See also

• Vaccine diplomacy
• COVID-19 vaccination in India