"Indian Jab In My Arm": Boris Johnson Praises India's Vaccine Contribution

Visiting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented that he had "the Indian jab" as he talked about the UK-India collaboration in producing vaccines that inoculated more than a billion against Covid.

Boris Johnson, on his first visit to India, dwelt on the partnership between the two countries and referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- whom he called "Narendra" -- as his "khaas dost (special friend)".

"We are extending our partnership as science superpowers and building on the collaboration between Oxford AstraZeneca and the Serum Institute of India, which vaccinated more than a billion people globally against Covid. I have the Indian jab in my arm, and a power of good it did for me...So many thanks to India. And that has helped India to become what Narendra has called the pharmacy of the world," said the UK PM, addressing a joint press conference with PM Modi.

Mr Johnson also said Britain and India had agreed to a "new and expanded" defence and security partnership. The two countries have a "shared interest in keeping the Indo-Pacific open and free", he added, calling the new partnership "a decades-long commitment".

The UK is creating an India-specific open general export license reducing bureaucracy and reducing delivery times for defence procurement, added the British PM.

According to reports, around five million people in Britain were vaccinated with Covishield, the India-made version of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid shot.

PM Modi said the two leaders stressed on the need for an end to the war in Ukraine and the resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy. "We reiterated the importance of territorial integrity and sovereignty of all nations," he said.