The United Nations-backed programme to ship Covid-19 vaccines worldwide has announced supply delays for up to 90 million doses from an Indian manufacturer, in a major setback for the ambitious rollout aimed to help low- and middle-income countries fight the pandemic.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said Thursday that the delays come as India is facing a surge of coronavirus infections that will increase domestic demands on the Serum Institute of India, a pivotal vaccine maker behind the Covax programme.
"Delays in securing supplies of SII-produced Covid-19 vaccine doses are due to the increased demand for Covid-19 vaccines in India," Gavi said.
![Military personnel unload the first doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine allocated through Covax at the military airport in El Alto, Bolivia, on March 21. Photo / Juan Karita, AP](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/TJZS3KWPU24RPZTE3HHJ6R6LPM.jpg?auth=54cbd074ac930740051b6ffce58267cd5050e349d2d606693ddf829809a7eca4&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)