Amid the increase in coronavirus cases in the nation and growing demands of the anti-coronavirus vaccine, India has imposed a temporary ban on all major exports of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shots, which have been made by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India, a media report, quoting two sources, says. 

This move will also affect the supply of vaccines to the global COVAX facility, under which nearly 64 low-income nations are to get shots from Serum Insitute, reports Reuters, quoting UNICEF, which is the programme’s procurement and distributing partner.

Also Read | In updated US trial data, AstraZeneca says COVID-19 vaccine 76% effective

According to the report, UNICEF said, “We understand that deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income economies participating in the COVAX facility will likely face delays following a setback in securing export licences for further doses of COVID-19 vaccines produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), expected to be shipped in March and April.”

It said that COVAX is talking to the Indian government to ensure deliveries “as quickly as possible.”

As of now, the SII has imported around 17.7 million AstraZeneca doses for the COVAX facility, while in general, it has shipped a total of 60.5 million shots, which include shipments to other nations too. 

Also Read | As COVID-19 rages, world risks losing tuberculosis gains

According to the foreign ministry’s website, India has not exported vaccines since last Thursday, March 18, in order to expand its own vaccination effort. 

“Everything else has taken a backseat, for the time being at least,” Reuters report said, quoting one of the sources. However, these decisions have not made public yet. 

According to Reuters sources, India will not export vaccines until the situation stabilises. “The government won’t take such a big chance at the moment when so many need to be vaccinated in India,” Reuters quoted one of its sources. 

The Serum Institute has already delayed the shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Brazil, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, while the UK administration is in touch with India to get the second batch of 5 million shots it had ordered from the Pune-based SII. 

The Central government has asked the SII, which nearly accounts for all of India’s vaccine exports, to supply nearly 141 million doses of anti-COVID vaccine.

The SII is planning to boost monthly production to 100 million doses, from up to 70 million, from April and May, reports Reuters.