Grateful for the supply of the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 vaccine from India, the Brazil President Jair M. Bolsonaro expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr. Bolsonaro took to Twitter and posted an image of Lord Hanuman carrying a mountain of vaccines from India to Brazil and said, “Namaskar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Brazil feels honoured to have a great partner to overcome a global obstacle by joining efforts. Thank you for assisting us with the vaccines exports from India to Brazil. Dhanyavaad.”
On the 23rd of January, Brazil received 2 million doses of the Novel Coronavirus vaccine.
India began exporting the Astrazeneca and Oxford coronavirus vaccine doses manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
Besides Brazil, India also sent vaccines to Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles.
The illustration shares a significance as it is related to a tale in Ramayana, an Indian epic.
In that story, Lord Hanuman carries an entire mountain to deliver Sanjeevani Booti, a magical life saving herb to save a wounded Lakshman, Lord Ram’s brother.
Replying to Mr. Bolsonaro’s tweet, PM Modi said, “The honour is ours, President Jair M. Bolsonaro to be a trusted partner of Brazil in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic together. We will continue to strengthen our cooperation on healthcare.”
External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also took to Twitter and said, “Made in India vaccines arrive in Brazil.”
According to Brazil’s Health Ministry, the vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, landed in Sao Paulo before being flown to Rio de Janeiro, where Brazil’s state run Fiocruz Institute is based. Fiocruz has an agreement to produce and distribute the vaccine.
