Omicron, detected for the first time in South Africa, has been classified as a “worrying variant” by WHO..
New Delhi:
As Africa grapples with the novel coronavirus variant Omicron, India on Monday said it stands ready to assist affected countries in the continent, including by providing vaccines, life-saving drugs and kits. test.
The Department of State (MEA) said that vaccine deliveries can be made through COVAX or bilaterally.
The government said that it has cleared all orders to date from COVAX for the supply of Covishield vaccines, including for African countries such as Malawi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Mozambique, Guinea and Lesotho.
The MEA said any new requests expected bilaterally or through COVAX will be reviewed promptly.
The MEA said in a statement: “We have noted the emergence of a new variant of Covid-19, Omicron. We express our solidarity with countries, especially in Africa, which have has been affected by the Omicron variant”.
“Government of India stands ready to assist the affected countries in Africa in dealing with the Omicron variant, including making the Made in-India vaccine available,”
It said the replenishment of supplies could be done through COVAX or bilaterally.
In this regard, the Government has cleared all orders to date from COVAX for the supply of Covishield vaccines, including for African countries such as Malawi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Mozambique. , Guinea and Lesotho”.
“We have also moved COVAXIN supplies to Botswana. Any new requests forecasted bilaterally or through COVAX will be subject to urgent review,” it said.
The MEA said India is also ready to provide essential lifesaving drugs, testing kits, gloves, PPE kits and medical equipment such as ventilators.
“Indian institutions would favorably consider collaborating in research work related to genome surveillance and virus characterization with their African counterparts,” it said.
To date, India has supplied more than 25 million doses of Made in-India vaccines to 41 countries in Africa, including nearly 1 million doses issued to 16 countries and more than 16 million doses under the COVAX facility for 33 countries.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
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