Looking for extra COVID-19 vaccines from India, says Canadian PM Justin Trudeau

The talks between the two sides come a couple of months after the Canadian PM spoke on the ongoing farmers' protests in India. He said "We are looking at possible extra vaccines coming from India from the Serum Institute, work is being done on that."

File photo

New Delhi: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has confirmed that his country will be receiving COVID-19 vaccine supplies from India. Last week saw Justin Trudeau and Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking to each other with the latter assuring the former of COVID-19 vaccine supplies.

Trudeau in response to a question in a presser said, "We are looking at possible extra vaccines coming from India from the Serum Institute, work is being done on that."

He added, "It was good to talk to PM Modi on a range of subjects" including, the role India is playing in producing vaccines for the developing world and other issues that are important to us.".

Canada has a deal to get 20 million Astrazeneca COVID vaccines which he said is not "from an Indian production facility, I believe they are from the AstraZeneca facility from South Korea."

The talks between the two sides come a couple of months after the PM Justin Trudeau spoke on the ongoing farmers' protests in India. In December, he made comments on the farmers' protests angering the External Affairs Ministry which lodged a strong protest by a rare summoning of Canadian envoy to India, Nadir Patel.

During the talks last week, farmers issues were discussed with Trudeau commending New Delhi's efforts 'to choose the path of dialogue as befitting in democracy', the ministry of external affairs said on Friday in response to a question.

India, which produces 60% of global vaccines, has sent COVID-19 vaccines to more than 20 countries. India has gifted vaccines to 13 countries and has sent vaccines on a commercial basis to nine countries.

In all, India has supplied 229.7 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the global community - 64.7 lakh doses as a gift, 165 lakh doses commercially.