India says no export ban imposed on COVID-19 vaccines

India said that it has not imposed any export ban on COVID-19 vaccines while stressing that supplies to many countries in various regions of the world have taken place last week.

“Sri Lanka is among 80 countries to which a total of over 64 million doses of COVID 19 vaccines made in India have been supplied, as bilateral gifts, through COVAX facility and on commercial orders many of which were placed last year. No country has shared with the world COVID 19 vaccines in such a large quantity while vaccinating its own population,” a statement from the Indian High Commission in Colombo said.
 
Arrival of duly approved AstraZeneca COVID 19 vaccines as a gift from India in January this year enabled vaccination against the dreaded pandemic in Sri Lanka to begin ahead of earlier plans, the statement said.

“As a close friend and neighbour of Sri Lanka, India ensured that the people of Sri Lanka started benefiting from India’s global prowess in vaccine production within days of the launch of COVID 19 vaccination in India itself,”
 
More than 1.25 million doses of made-in-India COVISHIELD vaccine have so far been delivered to Sri Lanka. Production of COVID 19 vaccines in India is being ramped up further to meet domestic requirements and global demand.