India is running out of Covid vaccines amid a brutal second wave that has seen both cases and deaths in the country soar to record levels. If exports are restricted further then it would harm global supplies - including 5million doses of AstraZeneca bound for the UK - as India typically produces 60 percent of vaccines used worldwide and is home to the world’s largest vaccine-maker, the Serum Institute of India (SII). There are several challenges contributing to the shortages -- one being the supply of raw materials, said former ICMR director general Nirmal Kumar Ganguly. This was hobbling vaccine production in other parts of the world. Serum Institute and Novavax have inked a deal to supply 1.1 billion doses of the vaccine to COVAX to equitably distribute it across the globe.

Source: The Nation April 18, 2021 12:56 UTC