COVID-19 Vaccine Diplomacy and Equitable Access to Vaccines Amid Ongoing Pandemic

The wealthy countries have already secured 60% of the total coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine supplies for their citizens. Some of these countries have pre-ordered vaccine doses sufficient enough to vaccinate their population multiple times. India has recently initiated a diplomatic mission named “Vaccine Maitri” to provide COVID-19 vaccine doses to needy low-income countries. The ability of the country to manufacture cost-effective vaccines along with the ability to export large vaccine consignments worldwide will help to meet the global COVID-19 vaccine requirements. Furthermore, global vaccination coverage can only be achieved by ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.