Global vaccination drive faces doses shortfall as Serum struggles

Pune: The setbacks faced in the form of fire at its factory and a ban on export, the impediments caused in the production of vaccine at the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine producer, has reportedly affected the vaccination drive around the world, particularly in poor nations.

The Serum, the World Health Organisation's partner in the Covax initiative to ensure equitable supply of the vaccine around the world, is said to have failed to provide the committed vaccine doses to the Covax. The initiative mainly depends on the Serum to get its vaccination drive successful due to the lower cost of its vaccines as compared to the vaccines produced by the global majors.

According to a Bloomberg report, the Serum was able to send only 30 million doses of vaccines of the minimum 200 million doses the Covax had ordered. The short supply of the vaccine doses for a global mission amid the pandemic crisis raised concerns that it could further accelerate infections in developing countries.

The WHO and the public health experts fear that the procrastination of the vaccination may cause further mutations in the Coronavirus that could lead to the emergence of dangerous variants by which the global pandemic will remain a cause of concern for a longer-term.

Unlike other global manufactures that are also facing trouble in meeting the target, the production shortfall at the Serum is said to be a serious concern that most developing countries rely on the vaccines produced there.

Amid the production crisis that the Serum is facing due to a fire accident in one of its factories in Pune, the Indian government had an export ban imposed on all vaccine producers when the country hard hit by the second wave, besides the unavailability of vaccines doses, forcing the government to reach out other foreign manufactures for vaccines.

Despite Serum's pledge on supplying 400 million doses of AstraZeneca by the end of last year, it could produce only 70 million shots as its chief Adar Poonawalla came out apologetic explaining the government level approval issues and unavailability of enough storing facilities.