India starts export of coronavirus vaccine to Brazil, Mauritius; Brazil thanks for 'professionalism'

After administering the coronavirus vaccine in one of the biggest democracies of the world, India has now started exporting the domestically-manufactured vaccine to other parts of the world.

With the intention of helping neighbours and other countries around the world, India, on Friday, started exporting shots of the AstraZeneca-Oxford developed coronavirus vaccine to Brazil.

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A shipment of 200,000 doses of Covishield vaccine has already left for the European country, Brazil, on Friday morning. 

In addition to this, 100,000 doses were also exported to Mauritius and 50,000 dosages to Seychelles packed in an Indian Navy P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

Brazil's Foreign Affairs minister took to Twitter to thank India and Jaishankar for keeping Brazil in the priority list of receiving the coronavirus vaccine. "The government of India has placed Brazil on the highest priority: we are one of the first two countries to receive vaccines against Covid purchased in India," he tweeted. (translated text)

The Brazilian Ambassador André Aranha Corrêa do Lago also thanked Serum Institute of India (SII) for the doses of vaccine and the 'professionalism' demonstrated during the transportation. "Thank you @SerumInstIndia for the amazing professionalism demonstrated while shipping this batch of #OxfordAstraZeneca vaccines to Brazil & immense appreciation for and thanks to the Government of India for their support," the tweet read.

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Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil, also acknowledged India's supply of vaccines and thanked the Indian government. "The government of India has released vaccine exports against Covid-19, and the first shipments will be sent this Friday to Brazil and Morocco, said the secretary of Foreign Affairs from India," he tweeted.

India has already supplied consignment of 1 million samples of the coronavirus vaccine, almost a week after it requested India to keep Nepal in priority.