•The Star has requested Gavi to explain how India’s ban on export affects supplies for the Covax Facility
•Kenya on December 7 applied for 24 million doses through Covax, and had expected to receive the initial 12 million doses at the end of this month or early February.
The delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine to Kenya could be delayed after the Indian government banned exports for “several months” until it vaccinates its vulnerable people.
Kenya expected to receive the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine next month from the contracted manufacturer, the Serum Institute of India (SII).
However, SII CEO Adar Poonawalla on Sunday said his company has been barred from exporting any shots until it supplies the Indian government with an initial 100 million doses.
“We can only give (the vaccines) to the government of India at the moment,” Poonawalla said in an interview, saying he supports the decision.
The Star has contacted Gavi to understand how India’s decision affects supplies for the Covax Facility, the Gavi-administered plan to supply the vaccine to developing countries.
Kenya on December 7 last year applied for 24 million doses through Covax, and had expected to receive the initial 12 million doses at the end of this month or early February.
“We have ordered vaccines. We are hoping that the vaccines will be here by the end of January or up to the second week of February,” Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said on Friday.
But Poonawalla said the export of vaccines for Covax might not begin until March or April, because of the order by the Indian government.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was granted emergency use authorisation by the Indian government on Sunday, but on the condition that SII does not export any shots until the country’s vulnerable populations are protected first, Poonawalla told the AP.
Gavi and its partners last year contracted SII to manufacture shots for the Covax facility and even paid funding guarantee.
SII is the world’s biggest vaccines manufacturer by volume.
Gavi says it has arrangements in place to access nearly two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine candidates, on behalf of 190 participating economies, including Kenya.
The arrangements will enable all participating economies to have access to doses by June, with first deliveries anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2021 – contingent upon regulatory approvals and countries’ readiness for delivery.
Covax has an agreement with the SII for 200 million doses – with options for up to 900 million doses more – of either the AstraZeneca/Oxford or Novavax candidates, as well as a statement of intent for 200 million doses of the Sanofi/GSK vaccine candidate.
On December 18, it announced the signing of an advance purchase agreement with AstraZeneca for a further 170 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford candidate, and an MoU with Johnson & Johnson for 500 million doses of the Janssen candidate, which is currently being investigated as a single dose vaccine.
“Securing access to doses of a new vaccine for both higher-income and lower-income countries, at roughly the same time and during a pandemic, is a feat the world has never achieved before – let alone at such unprecedented speed and scale,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, in a statement.