Poor countries pay the cost after Covax puts all its eggs in one basket India’s top vaccine maker has been unable to send shots overseas since April, but its problems began long before 09 June 2021 - 20:52 By Chris Kay and PR Sanjai
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 last year named a top supplier of Covid shots to Covax, 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, that have hampered its ability to fill orders.
Vietnam’s health ministry said the country will have nearly 125 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines this year after initially reporting it expects 120 million vaccine doses, according to an updated post on the government’s website.