E-Paper
India will honour deal to supply Covishield vaccines: Canadian PM
Some major suppliers in the West have banned the export of vaccines and raw materials, says Indian high commission to Ottawa
Supply of Covishield vaccines from India to Canada will be completed but the entire shipment may be delayed as India deals with developments outside its control.
Reuters had earlier reported that the Indian government had placed a “temporary hold on all major exports” of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by the Institute of India (SII) under the brand name Covishield “to meet domestic demand as infections rise”.
Another reason for a delay may be beyond India’s control, as a background media note circulated by India’s high commission to Ottawa noted: “The production of vaccines is dependent on several factors including the supply of raw materials. Some major suppliers in the West have banned the export of vaccines and also of raw materials.”
A deal between the SII and Canadian firm Verity Pharmaceuticals, announced following a call from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in February, calls for 2 million doses to be shipped to Canada.
Of these, 500,000 arrived in Toronto on March 3. However, there is some doubt over when the remainder will be shipped.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Trudeau made it clear he was paying attention to reports that the Covishield supply could be affected.
However, he appeared to be confident the deal will be honoured. “At this point, we have no indications that the 2 million doses we will be receiving from the Serum Institute over the coming two months will in any way be affected and we will continue to ensure that that be the case.”
The media note circulated by India’s high commission did not identify the Western countries or elaborate on the raw materials impacted but there are production “challenges” expected in April.
However, India plans on honouring its external obligations including those to Canada, to which it is expected to complete the final shipment by mid-May. However, the shipments were originally expected to be “front-loaded” but that may not be the case any longer.
The media note stated that the “schedule of delivery remains under discussion between the companies”.
It also said the Indian government was “working hard” with manufacturers to “expand the production capacity as soon as possible to meet both domestic and external demands”.
It added that India has, thus far, supplied over 60 million doses to more than 75 nations, including under the COVAX facility, the global arrangement to ensure equitable access to coronavirus pandemic vaccines throughout the world.
