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Koraput, in the east Indian hinterland.
Reena Jani cooks lunch before riding her motorcycle to her vaccination appointment.
Jani works in health care and is therefore one of the 300 million Indians who are to receive a vaccine by August.
To do this, the vaccine has to be distributed to the remotest corners of the subcontinent - a mammoth task.
Also because of the great distances, the self-proclaimed "largest vaccination program in the world" is making slow progress.
On the other hand, because the number of infections is comparatively low and many Indians are unsafe.
So does Jani.
Reena Jani, healthcare worker
“Somebody told me that people pass out, they get a fever, and some die after being injected. That worried me. "
Of the targeted 300 million, about a fifth of the total population, less than two months after the start of the campaign, less than 15 million people have been vaccinated.
At this rate, it would take years to reach the goal.
But the Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, has been producing the AstraZeneca vaccine "Covishield" at full speed for months; it is now said to be a good 100 million doses a month - more than could be inoculated or sold abroad.
Other manufacturers such as Bharat Biotech are also producing or are in test phases.
At the end of January, the government was able to buy enough ampoules to pursue foreign policy with cheap or even free supplies, as here in Afghanistan.
Raghuram S.
Indian embassies Afghanistan
“In good times and bad, Afghanistan and India have stuck together. We call it "Vaccine Maitri" which means something like friendship through vaccinations. "
Afghanistan received 500,000 cans, neighboring Bangladesh received two million, further deliveries were made to Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, among others - all free of charge.
Other countries around the world have received supplies from the Indian government at low prices.
The quantities are not sufficient to vaccinate nationwide in the recipient countries, but the vaccine is present locally and thus India.
Amrita Narlikar, President of the GIGA Institute
“There are several ways of looking at vaccine diplomacy. On the one hand, it is about securing more influence for countries in difficult times. It's about building alliances and partnerships, it's also about building alliances and partnerships in a world in which China is expanding in economic competition. And it's about the status of a country. The Indians were able to step in and help parts of the global south when others like the EU could not. «
The WHO vaccine distribution program COVAX is running slowly.
The EU and the US focus on immunizing their own people first.
By contrast, Russia and China are also using vaccine diplomacy to strengthen their position in poorer and strategically important countries.
As here in Nepal, especially in those countries where China has been wrestling with India for influence for a long time.
Amrita Narlikar, President of the GIGA Institute
“It's not about vaccine rivalry. (…) There is a conflict about values, the system and our way of life. China has tried to create a positive narrative of how it steps in and helps poor countries when the US and EU don't. India is well aware of this and offers alternatives. I think the EU and the US should look very carefully at what is happening and should get involved. Maybe in cooperation with India and other democracies. "
Vaccine deliveries as a means of diplomacy and foreign policy - India, which is often referred to as the “pharmacy of the world”, has the prerequisites for this.
Amrita Narlikar, President of the GIGA Institute
“India will have to be very careful because the number of infections is rising again, India is a democracy, voters will be very angry when vaccination diplomacy costs the lives of Indians. It's a difficult balance and you need a combination of both strategies to make it work. "
In Koraput, Reena Jani finally got vaccinated.
And Prime Minister Modi also received a vaccine that was developed in India on Monday.
The Serum Institute of India has been instructed by the government to prioritize India over any other country.
It should not give the impression that one's own country is being neglected.
