India supplies 70% of world`s COVID vaccines: Health Minister

India was importing equipment like N-95 masks, PPE kits, ventilators, but now the country has become an exporter of these, said Health Minister.

New Delhi: India caters to 70% of the world`s COVID vaccine requirements, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday in the parliament.

Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha on the coronavirus pandemic, he said that two Covid vaccines - Covaxin and ZyCoV-D - developed indigenously by Indian scientists and other Covishield developed by the technology transfer have been approved for emergency use.

He said that before Covid, India was importing several types of equipment like N-95 masks, PPE kits, ventilators, but now the country has become an exporter of these.

"As of April 11, 2021, there were 20 plants manufacturing Remdesivir in the country producing 30,000 injections in a month. We have helped the country`s manufacturing companies from approval to assembling raw material from around the world," Mandaviya said.

While the number of these plants increased from 20 to more than 60, the production capacity in a month has exceeded more than 10 million.

"The Prime Minister Cares Fund had approved setting of 1,225 oxygen plants. These plants have been started in all the states. Today, a total of 829 plants are in the process of being established. More than 70 per cent of these Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants have been installed across the country," he said.

About economic aid to the states during the Covid pandemic, Mandaviya said: "In July 2021, while giving ECRP-2 package, more than Rs 23,000 crore were made available to the states. Over 800 paediatric units and at least one Paediatric Centre of Excellence in every state and in total, 42 such centres will be constituted under it.