India gives 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Afghanistan

Additional doses will be supplied in next weeks, says Ministry of External Affairs

NEW DELHI:

India on Saturday supplied 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Afghanistan as part of "humanitarian assistance," the government said.

According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, the Covaxin vaccines were handed over to the Indira Gandhi Hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul.

Read more: First consignment of aid dispatched to Afghanistan

Covaxin is an Indian homegrown vaccine manufactured by the pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech.

Another batch of additional 500,000 doses would be supplied in the coming weeks, the statement said.

The Indian government is "committed to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghan people consisting of food grains, one million doses of Covid vaccine and essential life-saving drugs," the ministry added.

Also read: Trickle-down misery: How Afghanistan's asset freeze hurts everyone

Last month, India delivered 1.6 tons of medical assistance to Afghanistan through the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Taliban regained control of the country after the US-backed administration exited from Afghanistan last year in August.