Global Covid summit: PM Modi calls for need to recognise vaccine certificates amid row with UK...
Global Covid summit: PM Modi calls for need to recognise vaccine certificates amid row with UK...
The world needs to focus on addressing the Covid-19 pandemic's economic effects, PM Narendra Modi said on Wednesday. The Prime Minister was addressing the Global Covid-19 summit organized by the US.
Without mentioning any countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the need for mutual recognition of vaccine certificates. The statement comes amid a controversy over the UK's revised travel guidelines for fully vaccinated Indians.
"We also need to focus on addressing the pandemic's economic effects. To that end, international travel should be made easier, through mutual recognition of vaccine certificates," he said in the nearly 5-minute long address.The world stood with India, like a family, during the second wave of Covid-19 infections, PM Modi said. He added, "For the solidarity and support extended to India, I thank you all."
'Supply chains must be kept open'
The Prime Minister added that Indian vaccine makers are ramping up production capacity and that the country will be able to resume the export of Covid-19 vaccines to other countries once production is increased.
He was referring to Bharat Biotech, which has committed to deliver 5.5 crore doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, in October. The Serum Institute of India (SII), on the other hand, is all set to produce 22 crore doses of Covishield - the jab developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca - next month.
Stating that supply chains of raw materials needed for vaccine production must be kept open, PM Modi said that as production increases, India will be able to resume the export of jabs to other countries.
In a statement last week, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had told the media that India would resume its 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative in the month of October.
"Earlier this year, we shared our vaccine production with 95 other countries, and with UN peacekeepers," PM Modi said in his address on Wednesday.
He went on to add that India's pharmaceutical industry has produced cost-effective Covid-19 diagnostic kits, drugs, medical devices and PPE kits which provide affordable options for many developing countries.
'India running world's largest vaccination campaign'
Stating that India is now running the world's largest vaccination campaign, PM Modi said that the country's grassroots-level healthcare system has administered over 800 million vaccine doses so far.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), a total of 83 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered across the country to date.
"Recently, we vaccinated about 25 million people on a single day," PM Modi said, adding, "Over 200 million Indians are now fully vaccinated."
