Government stresses on providing equity in access to Covid-19 vaccines to mitigate impact of coronavirus pandemic

NEW DELHI: Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harshvardhan has stressed on providing equity in access to Covid-19 vaccines to mitigate the impact of corona virus pandemic. He has urged the global community to collaborate in research and development and manufacturing of vaccines for speedy distribution to everyone across the world.

While virtually sharing his views at the Economic and Social Council special ministerial meeting on ‘A Vaccine for All’ topic, he said, the global community is facing challenges about the accessibility, affordability, availability and distribution of vaccines. He said, lack of global cooperation in distribution of Covid-19 vaccines will affect the vulnerable countries.

Urging on the need for better synergy and collaboration among nations, he said, various new strains of corona virus have developed and international support is required for genomics surveillance to track virus mutations. He stressed on the need for exchange of information in a timely manner to effectively deal with this new challenge.


Highlighting the country's effort in dealing with Covid-19 pandemic, the Health Minister said, India has been at the forefront of the global fight against the pandemic. He said, two indigenous vaccines have been granted emergency use authorization and 20 vaccines candidates are under development. He said, the government is committed to provide vaccines to its citizens.

Terming the misinformation a big challenge, he said, vaccine hesitancy can be curtailed by providing scientific facts which will allay fears of the public. Dr. Harshvardhan said, India has made significant contributions in supplying vaccines to various vaccine alliances like GAVI and COVAX. He said, the country has supplied Covid-19 vaccines to over 80 countries to provide better access to vaccines.