India will donate a consignment of COVID-19 vaccines to its southern neighbour Sri Lanka, a Sri Lankan state minister confirmed to a local media outlet. Earlier, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar assured the supply of vaccines on a priority basis to Sri Lanka during this trip to the country.

According to a report on Daily Mirror, Channa Jayasumana, Sri Lankan state minister of production, supply, and regulation of pharmaceuticals, said the consignment is expected to reach Sri Lanka by January-end. All arrangements regarding inoculation have been done by health authorities in the country.

The first batch, as a donation, will be a sign of goodwill gesture for India, the minister said, adding the rest will be procured by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

Earlier on Monday, the Sri Lankan President had also written a letter to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, asking for his assistance in procuring vaccines for Sri Lanka. However, the vaccines developed by China reported a varied range, 90-50 percent, of efficiency during the clinical trial.

Local media reports from Bangladesh and the Maldives also confirmed the delivery of the first consignments of vaccines on January 26 to respective countries. While media reports from Bangladesh confirmed the vaccines are coming from India, the Maldives is yet to confirm the same. 

However, the day, 26 January, is also happens to be the Republic Day of India, indicating a possibility that India would start supplying its first batches of vaccines to other nations on this special occasion.