COVAX may have to rely on other coronavirus vaccine manufacturers for several months longer than originally expected given the uncertainties over supply from the Serum Institute of India.
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On Tuesday, CEO Adar Poonawalla said in a statement that SII will continue to scale up vaccine manufacturing and “prioritise India” as the country is currently experiencing a deadly surge in COVID-19 infections.
The vaccine manufacturer however hopes to restart delivering doses to COVAX and other countries by the end of 2021, the statement said.
Poonawalla said that the company has “never exported vaccines at the cost of the people in India” and that it remains committed to supporting the vaccination drive in the country.
India crisis puts COVAX 150 million doses behind schedule
That number is expected to grow to 190 million doses next month.
Why it matters: SII is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer and a major supplier to COVAX. In March, India imposed a temporary hold on all major exports of COVID vaccines — affecting COVAX deliveries to low- and middle-income countries.
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said in a statement on Monday that the domestic demand for vaccines in India meant COVAX cannot access 140 million doses of vaccines this May, and another 50 million doses “are likely to be missed in June.”
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
