The Indian government is believed to be planning to resume vaccine export, at least in its neighborhood, by July end or August, which it had halted in April following the deadly Covid surge, an Indian media report says, citing sources in the government. 

Based on the scale of production, India is aiming to release vaccines to its neighbors like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal which had earlier signed contracts for vaccines, The Print reported. The vaccine supply to Bhutan, which had earlier received half a million doses in grant assistance, will also be prioritized, the report claimed. 

Earlier in January, India had started exporting vaccines to countries around under its Vaccine Matri diplomatic initiative, and shipped over 66 million vaccines abroad. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal among other countries had signed contracts and paid in advance to the Serum Institute of India (SII), the producer of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine in India, for vaccine supplies.

However, its vaccine diplomacy initiative faced a big jolt in April when the disastrous second Covid wave hit India, forcing the government to halt exports to prioritize domestic demand. China and Russia soon stepped in thereafter and signed contracts with South Asian countries to supply their own vaccines. 

“If the number of vaccinations (eight million) that we saw on Monday continues, then the government expects that 40 percent of the population can be covered by August and we will have a situation when herd immunity will kick in,” The Print quoted a government source as saying. “There are high chances that is when we can safely resume the shipments. It won’t be like before so soon but, of course, for the neighborhood, we are responsible,” he added. 

The report also claimed that the export, for now, will only be for South Asian countries. While other regions are likely to get supplies from the US and the WHO’s COVAX, the Indian government is of the view that South Asia is its own responsibility. 
 
Interestingly, China’s Sinopharm has been asking for a non-disclosure agreement along with contracts. And, these negotiations are stirring domestic politics in countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal over the secrecy surrounding prices. Media reports also indicated that Sinopharm has been charging differential pricing. 

(SAM)