By Sanjeev Miglani
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India has approved the shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine to Cambodia and plans to supply Mongolia and the Pacific Islands, officials said on Sunday when supplies arrived in Afghanistan – all part of the country ‘s broader vaccination diplomacy.
The government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stole a march on rival Asian giant China, which also promised to deliver shots, and gave nearby countries millions of doses of the locally made AstraZeneca PLC vaccine, even though its domestic vaccination program has just begun.
Modi uses the strength of India as the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines for various diseases to improve regional ties and return against China’s political and economic dominance.
New Delhi has approved 100,000 doses for Cambodia on an urgent basis following a request to Modi from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Indian envoy to Phnom Penh.
Cambodia is a key ally of China, which is expected to deliver one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, developed mainly by state-owned company Sinopharm.
“The offer was secured by the Serum Institute of India, despite countless competitive requests from partner countries and our commitment to our local people,” said Ambassador Devyani Khobragade.
India has given doses to Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives to help them get on with frontline workers as part of its vaccination against girlfriends initiative.
On Sunday, it sent 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Afghanistan, the first to arrive in the war-torn country, still awaiting emergency approval from the World Health Organization to administer it.
India has invested millions of dollars in Afghanistan over the years in an extensive effort that is seen as a repression of arch-enemy Pakistan’s influence in the country. “The vaccines are provided on a grant basis,” a government source said.
India has so far supplied 15.6 million doses of the vaccine to donations or commercial contracts to 17 countries, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anurag Srivastava said.
Shipments will be shipped to Mongolia, Caribbean countries and the Pacific Islands in the coming weeks, he said. “External supplies are an ongoing process, depending on availability and local requirement,” he said.
India, which has the world’s second highest level of coronavirus, plans to immunize 300 million people by August. It vaccinated about 3 million health workers in the first two weeks of the campaign, which started on January 16 and should increase the pace to reach the summer goal.
(Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani; Edited by William Mallard)