INDIA – The Serum Institute of India (SII) has announced that it will export 20-30 million doses of Covishield jab to the WHO-backed global platform Covax by the end of this year and then many more from January.
The World Health Organization (WHO), which co-leads COVAX, has urged India to re-start supplies for the program, particularly after it sent approximately 4 million doses to its neighbors and partners in October.
India’s government issued a moratorium that stopped vaccine exports as the brutal second wave devastated India in the first quarter of this year. COVAX, the global consortium charged with equitably vaccinating the world, was left empty-handed.
It was until India had administered sufficient doses of vaccines to its domestic citizens that the government relaxed the restrictions. In addition to that, commercial contracts were kept at abeyance as vaccine production was procured for domestic use.
India resumed its vaccine exports to Covax facility with the first batch of doses landing in African countries.
In an interview with Axios news, Adar Poonawalla, chief of SII stated that he expects Covishield doses to land in Africa countries starting this week.
“I think by the tenth of November you’re going to see the first — if not a bit sooner — you’re going to see the first doses arrive in Africa,” Poonawalla said.
Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, Covishield doesn’t need to be stored in freezing temperatures, which makes it ideal for vaccinating people in low-income countries. Covishield is a licensed version of AstraZeneca’s shot manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.
SII has nearly quadrupled its Covishield output to up to 240 million doses per month since April, when India halted all exports to inoculate its own people during a spike in cases.
Once shipments begin, Poonawalla said he expects to send around 30 million doses per month, to COVAX primarily.
There is currently a long list of vaccines in India at various stages of regulatory approval. They include Covavax, Corbevax, ZyCoV-D, Gennova’s mRNA vaccine.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also that COVAX had the money and the contracts to buy vaccines for low-income countries but “manufacturers have not played their part.”
While India’s government is focusing on getting more Indians inoculated with the second jab, it is evident that vaccines supply is no longer a constraint. Vaccine manufacturers are rearing to go out to the world with their exports.
Liked this article? Sign up to receive our regular email newsletters, focused on Africa and World’s healthcare industry, directly into your inbox. SUBSCRIBE HERE
Other articles you may like
-
Serum Institute to introduce Novavax’s vaccine in India by September
INDIA - The Indian government through the Serum Institute of India (SII) is planning to introduce an Indian version of Covavax originally formulated by a US based biotech company, Novavax…
-
India repudiates Covishield supplies to COVAX as BioNTech seeks vaccine approval for kids
INDIA - India has decided not to share Covid vaccines with the rest of the world through the international vaccine alliance spearheaded by the World Health Organization and Gavi, Covax,…
-
Uganda set to receive over 600,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine to bolster national immunization
UGANDA - Uganda is expected to receive 647,010 doses of Pfizer vaccine from the World Health Organization COVAX facility to boost the country’s protection against COVID-19. Emmanuel Ainebyoona, ministry of…