World Health Organization’s Covax initiative from the quarter beginning Oct. 1, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya says, days after the government pledged to first focus on meeting local requirements, reports Bloomberg.
The country will also begin shipments as part of its vaccine donation program, the federal minister told reporters Monday. He did not give any details
Home to the world’s largest vaccine-manufacturing industry, it was expected that India would be a significant supplier to the equitable vaccine initiative on which most of the world’s poor countries are reliant. But the government halted exports in April after the delta virus variant began sweeping through its major cities making it the world’s second-worst hit by Covid-19.
“With more production, we will help the world under the ‘Vaccine Friendship’ program and fulfil the commitment of India towards Covax,” Mandaviya said.
Last month the head of a leading government advisory panel had indicated that India would only look at resuming exports in 2022 after it had reached its own goal of vaccinating its adult population by year-end. The country has so far fully vaccinated just 14.5% of its nearly 1.4 billion people, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.
