Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
London, March 6
UK Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi has defended a shipment of 10 million doses of Covishield en route from India amid some concerns that it would impact supplies of COVID-19 vaccines for poorer nations.
The minister in charge of overseeing the UK’s vaccination programme said the vaccine doses developed by the Serum Institute of India, in collaboration with Oxford/AstraZeneca, were always intended for Britain and that assurances have been sought that the delivery would not impact other supplies.
“We, of course, sought assurances from AstraZeneca and from Serum that our doses will not impact their commitment to the low-income and middle-income countries of the world,” Zahawi told the Associated Press in an interview on Friday.
“And they are making about 300 million doses available to low- and middle-income countries. You’ve seen those arrive in Accra in Ghana, last week and the Philippines this week… and Ivory Coast as well. And you’re going to see much more of that volume also going out,” he said.
Non-governmental organisations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) had raised concerns that shipments from India would reduce supplies to developing countries.
