India pushes for vaccine diplomacy in South Asia

As China rushes in with its COVID-19 shots, India is now in a race with China in making a locally-produced coronavirus vaccine accessible to the entire South Asian region, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

Months after its successful campaign to supply hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) around the world, India is looking at a COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy with its neighbors, even as China is offering its own Sinovac Biotech-made vaccine to Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

India's Ministry of External Affairs has already instructed India’s ambassadors and high commissioners in the neighboring nations to assess the need for vaccines in their respective areas.

During his recent trips to the neighboring countries, Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla committed COVID-19 vaccines to Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coronavirus cooperation initiative.

PM Modi has suggested developing a vaccine delivery system that is on the lines of how elections are conducted in the country and disaster management work is conducted.