India can resume COVID-19 vaccine exports after meeting domestic demands: NITI Aayog

India wants to resume COVID-19 vaccine exports, but it won't be able to do so until its domestic needs are addressed, according to NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul. While pointing out that India distributed a "substantial" number of vaccination doses earlier this year, Paul remarked, "Once our immediate need of vaccinating a significant proportion of Indian people is achieved and vaccine stockpiles are visible from multiple sources, we would then like to play the role of serving others and providing vaccines to them."

COVID-19 vaccine export resumption

As India confronted a fierce rise in infections, VK Paul defended the Indian government's decision to restrict vaccine exports in April. Last month, VK Paul asserted that 2 billion doses might be ready by December under a timeline that hinges on India's two primary suppliers, Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech, scaling up production and the availability of five other potential vaccines in the coming months.

Paul stated on Friday, June 18, that the prediction was “optimistic.” He said that the figure was based on manufacturer estimations and that it indicated "potential."  Between August and December, he believes that India will receive at least 740 million doses. However, this figure includes 300 million doses of a vaccine that is still being tested and is not yet available. In the future, more orders will be placed.

COVID-19 vaccine drive in India

The Niti Aayog member believes that the attention should move to little towns and villages in the future. "The spread of our preparedness will be much more into the hinterlands, into the rural areas," he noted. It is not fair to put any timetable at this moment in time, he said when asked when the restrictions would be removed.

The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has also dropped out of COVAX, the UN-backed effort to provide vaccines to the world's poorest regions. It announced last month that it might not be ready to start distributing dosages until the end of the year, putting a damper on worldwide attempts to immunize individuals against the Coronavirus.

In India, confirmed Coronavirus cases have topped 29 million, with over 380,000 deaths.  After topping 400,000 new cases per day in May, a global record, new infections are gradually dropping off. However, authorities are preparing for a new wave of infection and are working on increasing vaccination rates.

(with inputs from AP)

Picture Credit: ANI/Pixabay