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HomeNewsIndiaIndia sent 56 lakh COVID-19 vaccines to foreign nations as gift;100 lakh doses as commercial supplies: MEA
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India sent 56 lakh COVID-19 vaccines to foreign nations as gift;100 lakh doses as commercial supplies: MEA

MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Indian vaccines are scheduled to reach the Caribbean countries, Pacific Island states, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Mongolia, in the coming weeks.

February 05, 2021 / 08:51 IST
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As many as 348 adverese events following immunization (AEFI) cases were reported till 7.10 pm on the tenth day of India's coronavirus vaccination drive

India provided 56 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccines under grants assistance to a number of countries while 100 lakh doses were sent under commercial supplies, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Indian vaccines are scheduled to reach the Caribbean countries, Pacific Island states, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Mongolia, in the coming weeks.

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"We have so far supplied vaccines to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, the UAE, Brazil, Morocco, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Algeria, Kuwait and South Africa," he said at a media briefing.

"Supplies made under grant amount to 56 lakh doses and commercial supplies amount to over 100 lakh doses," he added.

COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.
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