NEW DELHI (Reuters) – A World Health Organization (WHO)-backed program to supply coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries expects the Serum Institute of India (SII) to resume full deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine in May. UNICEF said Saturday. .
“Deliveries of the IBS / AZ vaccine are expected to start fully again in May, with recovery deliveries to reach each participant’s full allocation through May, accelerating thereafter,” a UNICEF spokeswoman told Reuters in a statement. email.
The spokeswoman added that the program, known as COVAX, was in talks with New Delhi to secure “some supply” also in April. COVAX expected a total of 90 million doses of IBS in March and April, of which it has received about 28 million.
UNICEF is the distribution partner of the program, executed with the GAVI vaccine alliance.
India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, said on Friday it would make domestic COVID-19 inoculations a priority as infections rise, communicating its decision to international buyers.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that India’s decision was “understandable” but that the WHO was in talks to continue providing doses to other countries.
So far, COVAX has delivered 32 million doses of vaccines to 61 countries, but 36 countries are still waiting for vaccines to begin inoculations, Tedros said.
Report of Krishna N. Das; Edited by Frances Kerry