India | Vaccine export India to resume vaccine export and donations from next month: Health Minister
New Delhi/IBNS: India will resume export and donations of excess Covid vaccines from next month, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviy announced on Monday.
The announcement comes a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the US where the issue might be raised by President Joe Biden.
India, which is leading globally in producing vaccines, stopped exports in April to focus on inoculating its own population as infections exploded during the disastrous second wave.
The government wants to vaccinate all of its 94.4 crore adults by December and has been able to inoculate at least one dose to 61 percent of them.
The resumption of exports deliberations come ahead of PM Modi's visit to Washington starting Tuesday where vaccines are likely to be discussed at a summit of Quad countries - the United States, India, Japan and Australia.
The renewed export drive, known as 'Vaccine Maitri', will prioritise the global vaccine-sharing platform COVAX and neighbouring countries first, Mandaviya said.
He said that since April, the country's monthly vaccine produce has doubled and is set to quadruple to over 300 million doses next month.
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