All over the world, from Bangladesh to Nepal to Rwanda, fragile hotspots have been struggling to cope with the stagnation of the Covid-19 vaccination program
India’s Serum Institute overpromises and underdelivers as Covid death toll mounts The Serum Institute of India’s travails are a key illustration of how the effort to inoculate against Covid-19 has failed the developing world 09 June 2021 - 16:04 Chris Kay and PR Sanjai Picture: REUTERS/DINUKA LIYANAWATTE
London/New Delhi Around the world, from Bangladesh to Nepal to Rwanda, vulnerable hotspots have been grappling with stalled Covid-19 vaccination programmes as they run out of doses. Many of those shortages can be traced back to a single company: The Serum Institute of India.
The world’s largest vaccine maker, Serum was named a top supplier of Covid-19 shots to Covax in 2020, the World Health Organisation-backed initiative aimed at securing an equitable global rollout. But the Indian company has been dogged by setbacks, from a ban on exports to a factory fire, which have hampered its ability to fill orders.
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Posted on May 16th, 2021
By Nikhil Inamdar and Aparna Alluri Courtesy BBC News
It took 31-year-old Sneha Marathe half a day to book an appointment online for a Covid vaccine.
“It was a game of ‘fastest finger first’,” she says. “The slots filled up in three seconds.” But the hospital cancelled her slot at the last minute: they had no vaccines. Ms Marathe went back to try for another appointment.
All 18-44 year-olds in India have to register on the government’s CoWin platform to get vaccinated. With demand for jabs far outstripping supply, tech-savvy Indians are even writing code to corner elusive appointments.