India to resume vaccine supply: HC

Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami on Tuesday said his country would resume its vaccine supply abroad as soon as possible since India’s internal crisis is over and Bangladesh to get the committed jabs as New Delhi’s “priority partner”.

“At the earliest we can resume (vaccine supply) … Bangladesh is a priority partner and Bangladesh is already committed to purchase (the vaccine),” he said.

The Indian envoy said New Delhi never said that it would not supply the vaccine to Bangladesh, “We only said till the crisis is over in India.”

Bangladesh had purchased 30 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from Serum Institute of India (SII) through Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd (BPL) but New Delhi suspended its jab export after delivering 7 million of doses to Dhaka when COVID situation deteriorated there.

The Indian high commissioner made the remarks while formally handing over 31 ‘Life Support’ ambulances and nearly 20 tonnes of essential medical supplies as gifts to foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen in a ceremony at State Guest House Padma in the capital.

The ambulances marked the first tranche in an overall programme of supplying 109 Life Support Ambulances, as announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his state visit here in March this year.