Official sources stated on Sunday that the Union government has given the Serum Institute of India (SII) permission to export 50 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine Covishield to Nepal, Tajikistan, and Mozambique as part of the UN-backed COVAX global vaccine initiative.
The SII would also export Covishield to Bangladesh via the COVAX programme, in addition to these three countries, they stated.
From November 23, the SII will begin exporting Covid vaccines under the COVAX programme, and Nepal will receive the first lot of Covishield on November 24.
Earlier in October, the government granted the SII permission to export 10 lakh Covishield dosages each to Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh as part of the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative.
Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India (SII), is said to have been informed in a recent communication to the Union Health Ministry that the Pune-based firm has manufactured stock of 24,89,15,000 doses of Covishield and that the stock is increasing day by day.
