No vaccine to spare now, but India ready to share Co-WIN app with world

Modi said experience shows that no nation, no matter how powerful, can solve a challenge like this pandemic in isolation

Even though shortage of jabs forced it to suspend sending out Covid-19 vaccines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is set to share with the rest of the world the Co-WIN app it used for inoculation programmes in India.

In line with India’s philosophy of considering the whole world as one family, the Covid vaccination platform Co-WIN is being prepared to be made open source. Soon, it will be available to any and all countries,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. He was addressing the Co-WIN Global Conclave 2021.

The conclave was organised to share the success story of Co-WIN digital platform, which formed the technological backbone of the Covid-19 vaccination drive in India.

Also read: Key takeaways from PM Modi's speech at Co-WIN Global Conclave

The Modi Government now offered the platform, which could be adapted and scaled up for health interventions across the world, to partner countries as a global public good.

There is no parallel to such a pandemic in hundred years and no nation, however powerful, can solve a challenge like this in isolation, the Prime Minister said.

Nearly 400 delegates from 140 countries attended the conclave, besides representatives from the European Commission and the United Nations Offices in India participated in the conclave.

“The biggest lesson from the Covid-19 pandemic is that for humanity and the human cause, we have to work together and move ahead together. We have to learn from each other and guide each other about our best practices,” the Prime Minister said.

The ministers from five countries attended the conclave.

Given the importance of vaccination, India decided to adopt a completely digital approach while planning its vaccination strategy. This helps people in proving that they have been vaccinated, expediting the normalcy in the post pandemic globalised world, Modi said, adding: “A safe, secure and trustworthy proof helps people to establish when, where and by whom they have been vaccinated. Digital approach also helps in tracking the usage of vaccination and minimises wastage.”

The Modi Government sent out 107.15 lakh doses of the Made-in-India vaccines to foreign nations as grant till April 16, in addition to the 357.92 lakh doses exported commercially and 198.628 lakh doses as contribution to the Covax initiative of the World Health Organization, Gavi – The Vaccine Alliance and others to ensure equitable access to anti-Covid-19 vaccines around the world.

It, however, paused its “Vaccine-Maitri” initiative after the shortage of the jabs came to the fore and slowed down the inoculation programme in India.