Covid-19: India may resume vaccine exports in 2022, says expert
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: With six locally-development vaccines available and most of its adult population likely vaccinated by year-end, India may resume exporting Covid-19 vaccines in 2022, Dr. NK Arora, Chairman of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization, has said.
“Almost 60 countries hardly have any access to vaccines. India should be able to provide a substantial portion in 2022,” he told a TV channel on Tuesday.
“As soon as we are through with our adult population we should have sufficient vaccine to share with the rest of the world,” said Dr. Arora, whose vaccine panel helps the Government of India evaluate new vaccines and data from those already in the market.
The South Asian nation, as the world’s biggest vaccine-producer, had to suspend the export of vaccines to nearly 60 nations, launched as part of vaccine diplomacy, early this year when the second wave of the pandemic surfaced in March.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) was expecting India to be a major vaccine supplier under the Covax effort for global equitable access to these vaccines, the onset of a devastating second-wave of infections and local supply delays prompted the government to prioritize its own citizens and halted overseas shipments in April.
On January 14, India had launched the world’s largest vaccination drive. So far more than 565 million doses have been administered in the country. Nearly 440 million people have received the first dose and another 125 million have received both doses. A boosted portfolio of vaccines by end of 2021is expected to cover the government’s plans to fully immunize 920 million adults, Dr. Arora said.
Covid-19 vaccines jointly developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and manufactured under a license by Serum Institute of India (SII), and the indigenous one developed by Bharat Biotech International Ltd, are being widely deployed in the country. Vaccines from Zydus Cadila (Cadila Healthcare Ltd) and Russia’s Sputnik V, are expected to begin local production in the coming weeks.
India’s largest vaccine supplier SII is expected to ramp up its monthly contribution from 130 million to 150 million doses soon. By September, Bharat Biotech will provide about 120 million doses a month. Besides, Biological E. Ltd. and Genova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. may also start contributing to the supplies, he said.
“We are banking on indigenously manufactured vaccines,” he said. “Our estimates on supply lines do not take into account any of the vaccines from abroad.”
