Serum Institute resumes the supply of Covishield under COVAX programme

According to sources, Adar Poonawalla's Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, would shortly resume supply of Covishield, the coronavirus disease vaccine (Covid-19), under the COVAX programme.

According to a recent report, the Union government has permitted the SII to export 5 million doses of Covishield to Nepal, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, and Mozambique through the UN-backed COVAX programme. On November 24, Nepal was supposed to get the first batch. However, the delivery has been postponed.

"The first consignment from the main Pune facility was scheduled to leave for Nepal today. However, the delivery has been delayed by two-three days due to some reason. The exact date of the consignment dispatch is still awaited," news agency ANI quoted a Serum Institute officia as saying, on Monday.

As a serious second wave reached the country in April, the Centre banned the export of Covid-19 vaccines. The supply to COVAX was expected to resume soon now that the second wave had been brought under control.

Covishield is the Indian version of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca jab, which is manufactured in India by the SII. It is one of the two most extensively used vaccines in the country, the other being Covaxin, which was produced by Bharat Biotech International Limited in Hyderabad. The first two vaccines to acquire emergency use authorization (EUA) in India for the immunisation drive, which began on January 16, were Covishield and Covaxin.

'Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access,' on the other hand, stands for 'Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access.' Gavi, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations are leading the initiative (CEPI). For low-to-middle-income nations, the project provides access to coronavirus immunizations, testing, and therapies.