Indian government to supply COVID-19 vaccines to Canada

The Government of India is likely to supply the Coronavirus vaccines to Canada soon. Reportedly, the decks have been cleared for the supply of the vaccines after the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau made a personal request to PM Modi.

However, the final decision on the quantum of the supplies of the vaccines has not been taken yet. The supply to Canada will be made and the official announcement will also come soon by the government.

The exact quantities and the delivery schedules of the vaccines will be finalized this week. India has now become a global leader in supplying Coronavirus vaccines to more than 20 countries on a humanitarian and commercial basis.

Canada’s request for vaccines:

The delivery of the Coronavirus vaccines to Canada can be seen in the light of the latest telephone call made by the Canadian PM on February 10, 2021, to PM Modi.

In the phone call, Trudeau asked for India’s support to Canada and assistance for the vaccines in fighting the global pandemic. PM Modi in return had assured his Canadian counterpart that India will be completely supporting the vaccination program of Canada.

Disagreement over farmer’s protests:

Earlier, the relationship between India and Canada had entered the rough weather when the Canadian Prime Minister had expressed concern over the ongoing farmers’ protest in India. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs had termed Trudeau’s comments as ‘Unwarranted’.

However, later he changed his stance and also commended the Indian government for holding the dialogues with the farmers' leaders. The Prime Minister of Canada also assured the security of the Indian missions and the personnel.

Supply of Coronavirus vaccines:

Canada has been seeking the supply of the Coronavirus vaccines from the Serum Institute of India, Pune. India had announced on February 12 that the decision of supplying the vaccines will be calibrated as per the domestic production and requirement of the vaccines for the national vaccination programme in India.