India to supply UK with vaccine as wealthy nations are accused of stockpiling doses

India to supply UK with vaccine as wealthy nations are accused of stockpiling doses

The UK was the first nation to begin immunising its citizens on December 8 and has already vaccinated over one third of its adult population after ordering 400 million doses of seven of the most promising vaccines.

In comparison, the first Covid-19 doses were only administered in African nations on Monday, including Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire, through the Covax vaccine distribution scheme.

“Vaccine equity is the biggest moral test before the global community. We must ensure that everybody, everywhere, can be vaccinated as soon as possible,” cautioned António Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations. “We cannot afford to split our planet and societies into vaccine haves and have-nots.”

Covax is aiming to deliver 277 million doses of various Covid-19 vaccines to 142 low and middle-income countries by the end of May, with the SII producing around 50 million vaccines for the scheme each month.

The SII has also separately agreed to export doses to neighbouring low income countries through bilateral deals, including Bangladesh and Nepal, at a reduced cost.

“It is vitally important we distribute our vaccine outside of India, otherwise the pandemic could keep circulating from abroad, it's a global effort,” Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the SII, told the Telegraph.

India's own stuttering