India To Resume Exports, Donations of COVID-19 Vaccines: Health Minister

India had halted the export of COVID-19 vaccines as infections had surged during the second wave of the pandemic.

India will resume the export and donations of the COVID-19 vaccines to other countries.

(Photo: The Quint)

India will resume the export and donations of the COVID-19 vaccines to other countries from next month, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Monday, 20 September.

"Under 'Vaccine Maitri', we will help the world and contribute to COVAX in the fourth quarter," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Only surplus vaccine doses will be exported, and the vaccination of Indian citizens will remain the topmost priority for the government, Mandaviya further observed.

India had halted the export of vaccines to other countries in April this year, as infections had surged during the second wave of the pandemic.

"We expect to get more than 30 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine next month. The production will go up as Biological E and other companies are bringing their vaccines into the market," Mandaviya said, as quoted by ANI.

Hailing India's vaccination drive, Mandaviya said that 10 crore vaccines have been administered in 11 days and over one crore doses have been administered in a single day on several occasions.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, nearly 80.85 crore vaccines have been administered by India as of Monday.

(With inputs from ANI.)