New Delhi: Under the Quad’s flagship Vaccine Partnership, a consignment comprising 200,000 doses of Made in India, Covovax vaccines was presented to Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Health of Thailand on 21 April 2022 in Bangkok.
This is the second consignment of vaccines delivered by India under the Quad Vaccine Partnership, after the inaugural delivery to Cambodia took place on 12 April 2022, and have been supplied to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment made at the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC in September 2021 to donate 500,000 doses of COVID vaccines to countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Quad Vaccine Partnership was announced by the Quad Leaders at their first Summit on 12 March 2021 to leverage Quad’s collective strength to ensure equitable access to safe, effective and quality-assured vaccines.
Quad countries have so far provided Thailand four and a half million COVID-19 vaccine doses. Quad countries have also provided last mile delivery assistance and monetary support to ensure that vaccines are translated into vaccinations. Australia is supporting Thailand to deliver vaccines safely and effectively to its population, including through strengthening data systems and developing communication strategies with a focus on migrant populations. India extended support to Thailand in augmenting its capabilities to fight the pandemic by providing oxygen concentrators and essential medicines. Japan has provided oxygen concentrators for the treatment of the disease and high-quality equipment for vaccine storage and transport through ‘Last One Mile Support’. The US has provided assistance with surveillance and contact tracing, case investigation, training health care workers and data management.