External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said there are three categories of nations that are keen to get the vaccine from India- poor, price-sensitive nations and other nations which directly deal with pharmaceutical industries that make the antidote.

India has supplied Corona vaccine to 15 countries and another 26 countries are ready at different levels for the jab, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

“Till now we have supplied to about 15 countries. I would say there would be another about 26 countries that are at different stages in the process.

But today it has put India on the map of the world,” Jaishankar said in a press conference.

Some poor nations are being supplied the vaccine on a grant basis while some nations wanted it on par with the price that the Indian Government pays to the vaccine makers. Some nations have direct contracts with the Indian vaccine producing companies and have negotiated commercially.

The government has given ‘YES’ for two COVID-19 vaccines– Covaxin of city-based Bharat Biotech and Covishield of Oxford, being manufactured by Serum Institute of India in Pune, which are being administered to frontline workers from January 16, under Emergency Use Authorization.

As per Drug maker Dr. Reddy, it will approach the Drug Regulator for the EUA for Russian vaccine Sputnik V in March.

In the press conference, Jaishankar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s idea was to make the nation the “Pharmacy of the World”, taking advantage of the domestic capabilities and the way India grew as IT leader during the Y2K issue.