India's COVID-19 Crisis Triggers Global Vaccine Shortfalls

Strategic Insights -

India's struggles to contain a devastating wave of the pandemic have halted exports of its leading COVID-19 vaccines, leaving dozens of countries, including Bangladesh, Africa's vaccine-dependent nations, and refugee camps, with delayed or cancelled vaccine deliveries. The crisis has pushed back the original goal of COVAX, the UN-backed vaccine-sharing program, to supply 187 million doses worldwide by the end of May. As a result, vaccination programs in several countries have been postponed or stalled.

Key Takeaways:

  • India's Serum Institute, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has suspended exports of its AstraZeneca vaccine, affecting COVAX's pipeline and several countries' vaccination programs.
  • Bangladesh has postponed COVID-19 vaccinations for over 900,000 Rohingya refugees, citing the lack of COVAX supplies, despite rising caseloads and test-positivity rates.
  • Ten African countries have exhausted more than two-thirds of their COVAX vaccine supplies, raising concerns about vaccine shortages and potential missed second doses.
  • Nepal's struggling healthcare system may not have enough stock to complete vaccinations for 1.3 million people who have already received their first dose.
  • The WHO has called for 20 million doses urgently to address interruptions in supply triggered by increased demands for vaccines in India.
  • India's vaccine shortage may last until at least July, according to Adar Poonawalla, the Serum Institute's CEO.
  • Global vaccine delays are driven by a shortage of raw materials needed to produce vaccines, affecting all manufacturers, as well as funding and healthcare infrastructure issues in some countries.

Statistics:

  • COVAX had shipped about 49 million doses of any kind as of 3 May.
  • India is breaking daily global records for coronavirus infections, topping 400,000 in a single day on 1 May.
  • 10 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses were to be received by Bangladesh through COVAX by the end of May, but the country is still waiting for its first shipments.
  • 1.3 million people in Nepal have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, but the country may not have enough stock to complete vaccinations for them.
  • 3 vaccines are currently in the COVAX pipeline: 2 versions of AstraZeneca, including the Serum Institute's, and the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
  • 1.2 million Pfizer doses are in the COVAX pipeline through the first half of the year.

Sources:

  • [The New Humanitarian]
  • [The Financial Times]
  • [The World Health Organization (WHO)]
  • [Gavi, the global vaccine alliance]
  • [United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR]