Under the headline "The Largest Vaccine Producer in the World: How It Sank in the 'Sea of COVID,'" Sky News reported that instead of being able to confront the new and fierce wave of the coronavirus, India has been engulfed in a pandemic that has "swallowed" entire cities. This assumption arises from the fact that India is the largest vaccine producer in the world and is home to the Indian Serum Institute, the largest of its kind globally.
As of Wednesday, the total COVID-19 death toll has exceeded 200,000, while the Asian country is recording staggering daily infection numbers since mid-April, reaching more than 300,000 in recent days, with estimates suggesting that the actual figures are much higher. Pandemic patients are in dire conditions, with many lacking medical supplies, particularly oxygen, and hospitals are overwhelmed due to the continuous influx of infections.
However, this does not negate India’s position as the largest vaccine producer, a reality that has become a subject of political criticism in the country. The criticisms arise against the backdrop of the Serum Institute being at the heart of the COVAX initiative, overseen by the World Health Organization for the fair distribution of vaccines to poorer countries. The initiative is viewed as key to ensuring billions of people worldwide receive the vaccine.
Export Burden
The institute committed to providing over a billion doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the global initiative, in addition to producing other vaccines such as Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V, and the local Bharat Biotech vaccine. There is a commitment to deliver 200 million doses through the initiative by June, but this has come into question as only 40 percent of scheduled orders have been fulfilled.
Indian politicians believe that exporting vaccines has become a burden on the country, impacting the health of its citizens, and discontent has risen in this regard amid the new wave of infections and deaths. Despite its vast production capabilities, India has managed to vaccinate only about 10 percent of its 1.4 billion adult population.
Indian government figures indicate that 150 million doses have been distributed, with daily vaccination rates rising to over 3.3 million doses, which is ten times the average in Britain. However, this is not sufficient.
Millions of Doses from Abroad
Political parties are viewing India’s vaccine export capability as a political failure, even as the country recently imposed a ban on exporting new batches. India has sent 66 million doses to 93 countries and to United Nations agencies. The largest single recipient is neighboring Bangladesh, with 10.7 million doses, followed by Morocco with 7 million doses, and then Britain with about 5 million doses.
