India exported 33 million shots under Covax system

Gavi-Covax, the vaccine alliance, is a public-private global health partnership to increase immunisation in poor countries. India has already exported 33 million shots of the vaccine. It aims to dispatch 80 million doses by March and provide at least 2 billion doses of approved COVID 19 vaccines by the end of 2021.

New Delhi:Health experts in India on Monday said that India must emerge as a vaccine hub for the entire world following the fact that it has already exported over 33 million shots to different countries under the Gavi-Covax system which is three times higher than what has been administered at home.

"Gavi-Covax, the vaccine alliance, is a public-private global health partnership to increase immunisation in poor countries. India has already exported 33 million shots which is three times as many doses as it has administered at home. That shows India's commitment for the world in fighting COVID 19," said senior health expert and president of Asian Society for Emergency Medicine Dr Tamorish Kole to ETV Bharat.

On February 2, Ghana became the first country in the world to receive a shipment of 6,00,000 doses of Coronavirous vaccines from the Serum Institute of India (SII) under the Covax programme.

"India must emerge as a vaccine hub for the world," said Dr Kole. Gavi's goal is to deliver 2 billion doses in 2021.

"India is doing its best, but world leaders should look carefully at vaccine equity. This is particularly important for global defence against COVID 19," Dr Kole said.

Another shipment of 5,04,000 doses has already reached Ivory Coast.

"It is for the first time that so many partners have come together to ensure that the vaccines that have the potential to save billions of lives reach people all over the world equitably.

It's a major step in the global effort to beat this pandemic and a landmark achievement towards global equitable access to these life-saving vaccines," said Dr Yasmin Ali Haque, the UNICEF representative in India to ETV Bharat.

The Covax facility, co-led by Gavi, the coalition for epidemic preparedness innovations (CEPI), and WHO, together with UNICEF, aims to dispatch 80 million doses by March and provide at least 2 billion doses of approved COVID 19 vaccines by the end of 2021.

As part of the Covax facility, UNICEF is leading efforts, in collaboration with other organisation to procure and supply doses of COVID 19 vaccines for the 92 low and lower middle income counties on behalf of Covax facility to enable them to protect their frontline health care and social workers. Of the 2 billion doses, the majority will come from Pune's SII, which has a license agreement with AstraZeneca and Novavax.

"India's manufacturing base is playing a critical role in closing the gap between rich and poor countries. UNICEF from India will ship the vaccines to 82 low and middle-income countries participating in the Covax facility," said Dr Yasmin.

Covax facility provides WHO certified vaccines. AstraZeneca vaccines got WHO certification on February 15.

"As more vaccines get the certification from WHO, based on their price and affordability other suppliers are being added to the pool," Dr Yasmin said.

She opined that equitable access to vaccines will contribute greatly towards containing the pandemic which has disrupted every aspect of life.

"Due to the pandemic, children and women have not received some of the essential services they needed. Now that the frontline workers will be vaccinated, these services will resume fast," Dr Yasmin added.