(ATF) After weeks of criticisms, crippling vaccine shortages, and scores of Twitter posts by many struggling to get their Covid-19 jabs, Indian authorities finally revealed a roadmap that promises to deliver 2 billion doses between August and December.
The Indian government is talking to the top three global manufacturers – Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson – to start supplying the country in the next few weeks.
The news came as one of the country’s biggest states shut all offices, stores and public transport in India’s West Bengal state after a surge in deaths and infections, blamed on mass election rallies.
West Bengal along with a host of southern states are bearing the brunt of a Covid-19 surge in India that has taken the nation’s infection total to nearly 25 million, with more than 265,000 deaths.
The head of the country national Covid-19 taskforce, VK Paul, said: “We have contacted manufacturers and sought information on the availability of vaccine for August-December. In this period, 2.16 billion doses would become available in India. The vaccine will be made available for all as we move forward.”
MANY MANUFACTURERS
India has puts its hopes in the mass vaccine rollout, under which Paul estimated nearly 750 million shots would be supplied by India’s largest vaccine maker, the Serum Institute of India (SIL), that makes the Astra Zeneca-Oxford University-developed Covishield vaccine.
Another 250 million would be supplied by Bharat Biotech (BBL) that makes the locally-developed, Covaxin.
Besides, local vaccine makers Biological E, Zydus Cadila along with SIL could also supply 550 million shots of the US Novovax jab, while BBL and Gennova would chip in with 100 million doses of a nasal vaccine and 156 million shots of the Russian Sputnik V, respectively.
“From the beginning, the Department of Biotechnology and Ministry of External Affairs together have been in touch with Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson,” Paul said adding that the talks are now bearing fruit.
“We had formally asked [pharma companies) and also held a discussion. We asked them: ‘Would you please want to send doses to India; please would you like to manufacture in India?’ We told them that we would find partners and would assist them. We also asked them if they want to do fill and finish,” he said, referring to the latter stage of production.
CRIPPLING SHORTAGE
Up until now India has been using SIL’s Covishield and BBL’s Covaxin for its nationwide inoculation drive, but while New Delhi claims the country has administered nearly 180 million doses, the most after China and the United States, government data shows just over 39.4 million people, or about 3% of a population of about 1.35 billion, have been fully vaccinated.
Yet, under fire for his uneven handling of the world’s worst Covid-19 surge, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened vaccinations to all adults from May 1, doubling the number of people eligible to an estimated 800 million.
Domestic production though, will stay largely flat at about 80 million a month until July.
Frustrated with failures of booking vaccine appointments despite hours of trying and following alerts, many have turned to memes and jokes in the social media to highlight the chaotic conditions.
Meanwhile, India reported over 343,000 daily new coronavirus cases as the tally of infections crossed 24 million, and 4,000 people died for the third straight day on Friday, with states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and the Delhi capital region continuing to report new daily highs.
STATES TO TENDER
The result is that several states now plan to launch global supply tenders individually.
India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh for instance, announced on Thursday that it will spend up to $1.36 billion to buy shots and held early talks this week with companies such as Pfizer and the local partner of the maker of Russia’s Sputnik V.
The move, comes as many Indian states have curtailed vaccinations due to severe shortages.
Reportedly global tenders have also been floated by the Mumbai civic body and Delhi, even as half-a-dozen others like Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have also announced plans to float global tenders for vaccines.
“A state-wise global tender is actually the worst thing to do at a time like this but since the Government of India is not doing it, states can’t sit idle. Which is why, we are also preparing a tender and knocking on doors,” Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, told the Indian Express newspaper.
The government in April, according to Reuters, decided to leave the import of Covid-19 vaccines to state authorities and companies, a decision that also led to the crippling shortage of vaccines in the midst of the pandemic ripping through the country.
UNHEALTHY COMPETITION
But the global tenders for vaccine supply, the first publicly known instances during this pandemic would create a new problem of unhealthy competition between states, reckon experts.
“When states approach the vaccine manufacturers separately, they stand to lose much of their bargaining power. That is why, I reckon the states could get a much better deal if the government floats a single tender for all,” Manoj Kumar Das, the project director at The INCLEN Trust International told Asia Times Financial.
A project of the Rockefeller Foundation, INCLEN is a nonprofit public health research organisation.
“However, allowing import of vaccines by private players is a good idea because they possess the experience and the required infrastructure to distribute Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson vaccines that require ultra-low temperatures for storage and distribution, ” Das added.
With reporting by Reuters and Agence France-Presse
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