Brazil President Jair M Bolsonaro thanked India for the coronavirus vaccine export.
Brazil today received two million doses of coronavirus vaccines made in India. Brazil President Jair M Bolsonaro invoked Lord Hanuman as he thanked India for the vaccines, saying his country feels honoured to have a great partner to overcome a global obstacle by joining efforts.
India has provided two million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Brazil - one of the worst-hit nations by the pandemic - to fight the deadly infection.
The image was a reference to a tale in the Ramayana wherein Lord Hanuman lifted the entire Govardhan mountain to deliver ''Sanjeevni booti'', a magical life-saving herb, to Lanka to save Lord Ram's brother Lakshman, who was wounded in a war.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied by saying that India will continue to strengthen the cooperation on healthcare.
Brazil has been in the grips of a second wave of infections since November, with more than 1,000 daily deaths and an overall toll of more than 214,000 deaths - second only to the United States.
India dispatched two million doses of Covishield vaccines to Brazil on Friday. Covishield has been developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University and is being manufactured by Serum Institute of India.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar confirmed the arrival of vaccines. He tweeted images of consignment.
Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Embassy in New Delhi, had made arrangements with India and Serum Institute of India for the transportation of the COVID-19 vaccines, following up on a letter from President Jair Bolsonaro to Prime Minister Narendra Modi dated January 8.
Brazilian Ambassador Andre Aranha Correa do Lago has thanked the Serum Institute for the vaccines and the "professionalism demonstrated" during the transportation.
"Thank you Serum Institute of India for the amazing professionalism demonstrated while shipping this batch of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines to Brazil and immense appreciation for and thanks to the Government of India for their support," said Andre Aranha Correa do Lago.
The government had cleared commercial exports of COVID-19 vaccines, with the first consignments to be shipped to Brazil and Morocco.
In the last few days, India has supplied COVID-19 vaccines, being manufactured in the country, to neighbouring countries including Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Large consignments of Covishield vaccine doses were flown in special Indian aircraft to Seychelles, Mauritius and Myanmar on Friday.
Contractual supplies are also being undertaken to Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Morocco, Bangladesh and Myanmar.