New Delhi Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday announced that the Indian government will restart Vaccine Maitri in the fourth quarter of this year, sources said today, adding that the initiative will give priority to neighboring countries.
Vaccine Maitri is an initiative to provide COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world.
“India’s neighboring countries will get priority on resuming exports under ‘Vaccine Maitri’,” sources said on Monday.
Earlier today, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had also announced that the Government of India will resume ‘Vaccine Friendship’ from October this year and also fulfill its responsibility under COVAX.
“As part of the Vaccine Friendship, we will help the world and contribute to Covax in the fourth quarter,” Mandaviya told reporters today.
The Center had halted the export of COVID-19 vaccines in March due to a sharp jump in the number of infections back home.
Sources further informed that the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) is in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the UK government’s recent travel restrictions related to COVID-19 where travelers have received both doses of Kovidshield (Serum Institute Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine manufactured by Of India) will be considered an “unvaccine”.
“The Union Health Ministry is in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs on the non-acceptance of Covidshield beneficiaries from India in the UK,” he said.
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