India ‘bans ALL major exports of AstraZeneca vaccines’ until own Covid outbreak ‘stabilizes’ in blow for UK jab rollout
INDIA has banned exports of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine to meet domestic demand as infections rise, it has been reported.
The vaccine is made by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine-make, and represents a blow to the UK’s vaccination programme.
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Two sources have told Reuters the there will be no exports until more Indians can be vaccinated.
“Everything else has taken a backseat, for the time being at least,” a source told Reuters.
“No exports, nothing till the time the India situation stabilises. The government won’t take such a big chance at the moment when so many need to be vaccinated in India.”
It emerged last week the government was in talks with India after a batch of around five million of the jabs had been delayed.
He told MPs the delay represents a setback to the goal of beginning to vaccinate the under-50s.
The move will also affect supplies to the GAVI/WHO-backed COVAX vaccine-sharing facility through which more than 180 countries are expected to get doses.
COVAX has so far received 17.7 million AstraZeneca doses from the SII, of the 60.5 million doses India has shipped in total, and many countries are relying on the programme to immunise their citizens.
There have been no vaccine exports from India since Thursday, the foreign ministry’s website here shows, as the country expands its own immunisation effort.
With 11.7 million cases, India has reported the highest number of coronavirus infections after the United States and Brazil.
Many states in India who have been battling a surge in infections have demanded that all adults be covered.
In response, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet decided this week to widen its inoculation drive by including everyone above 45 from April 1.
Currently, only the elderly and those over 45 with other health conditions are eligible for vaccinations in India.
Health and frontline workers were first in line when India began its drive in mid-January.
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India has so far administered more than 51 million doses, of which 47 million are the SII’s locally-made version of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The government has so far asked the SII to supply around 141 million doses.
The SII plans to boost monthly production to 100 million doses from April, from up to 70 million now.