Supplied more vaccines globally than vaccinated our people, says India
India has supplied more coronavirus vaccines around the world than it used to vaccinate its own citizens, the country told the United Nations General Assembly. India, one of the initiators of the Political Declaration on Equitable Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccines, also raised the issue of vaccine inequity across the globe at the UN. Here are more details on this.
India supplied vaccines to over 70 countries
India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, K Nagaraj Naidu, said, "As of today we have supplied more vaccines globally than have vaccinated our own people." Naidu stated that India has supplied vaccines to over 70 countries. "While the vaccine challenge has been resolved, we are now confronted with ensuring the availability, accessibility, affordability, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines," he added.
India highlighted the issue of vaccine inequity
Naidu said that COVID-19 vaccine distribution remains uneven both among and within countries. "Vaccine inequity will defeat our collective resolve to contain the virus. The current disparity calls for solidarity and cooperation within the international frameworks such as COVAX," he said. India, a significant contributor to the COVAX facility, reportedly supplied 20 million (two crore) vaccine doses to the facility last month.
Two COVID-19 vaccines are currently in use in India
Two COVID-19 vaccines are currently in use in India. 1) Covishield: It is the version of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine produced by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII). 2) COVAXIN: It is an indigenously-developed vaccine by the company Bharat Biotech. According to Naidu, 30 more vaccine candidates are at various different phases of clinical trials.
India reports over 1.19 crore coronavirus cases
India, which logged over 1.19 crore coronavirus cases and more than 1.61 lakh deaths due to it, has administered more than 5.4 crore vaccine doses to its citizens so far. The United States remains the worst-affected nation with over three crore cases of coronavirus so far. Across the globe, COVID-19 has sickened over 12.6 crore and claimed the lives of more than 27.80 lakh.
India sees a worrying spike in cases
There has been a worrying spike in COVID-19 cases in several states across India in the past few weeks. This happened amid growing concerns over mutated strains of the virus and increasing laxity among people in adhering to COVID-19 protocols such as wearing face masks. In fact, India on Friday reported over 62,000 fresh coronavirus infections, the highest single-day jump in over five months.
