The Indian government will brief the Delhi-based diplomatic corps next week on efforts to develop vaccines for Covid-19 and explore potential partnerships for manufacturing and delivery of vaccines, people familiar with developments said on Saturday.
The briefing, to be done on November 6 by foreign secretary Harsh Shringla, is set to be attended by envoys and senior members of the diplomatic corps. Niti Aayog member VK Paul, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan and other senior officials are also expected to attend the event, being seen as one of the key Covid-related interactions handled by the exte-rnal affairs ministry this year.
The interaction will be New Delhi’s first such outreach to the international community on vaccines when countries are eagerly awaiting a successful candidate. Officials and diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity said India is also looking for partners to co-produce vaccines so that they can be manufactured faster and distributed on a larger scale.
The Narendra Modi government is set to propose five models for vaccine cooperation with friendly countries and key neighbours, with India having entered late stage trials for two indigenous vaccines and the Oxford AstraZeneca candidate, which will be made by Pune-based Serum Institute of India.
According to top officials, New Delhi could offer free supply or trial partnerships to South Asian, European, West Asian, African and Latin American countries for the vaccine. The move is also aimed at building on India’s image as a key supplier of pharmaceutical products in early stages of the pandemic.
