UK Says No Surplus Vaccine Doses to Send to India

According to Downing Street, the UK is currently working through its domestic priority lists for COVID-19 vaccines and therefore has no surplus doses to share with countries in need, such as India, at this time.

In response to India's devastating second wave of the pandemic, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the mechanism is under constant scrutiny, while the country sends an assistance package to India consisting of 495 oxygen concentrators, 120 non-invasive ventilators, and 20 manual ventilators over the course of the week to meet supply shortages.

On Tuesday morning, the first shipment of 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators arrived in New Delhi.

“We committed in February to sending excess doses from the UK’s supply to the COVAX procurement pool and to countries in need, once they are available,” the UK PM’s spokesperson said.

“Right now we are moving through the UK prioritisation list for our domestic rollout and don’t have surplus doses, but we keep this under constant review. We recognise that no one is safe until we’re all safe in this pandemic which is why the UK has contributed GBP 548 million to COVAX and sent vital medical supplies to India,” the spokesperson said.

The COVAX facility refers to the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access global initiative led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization to ensure equal access to vaccines (WHO).

The latest news from Downing Street comes as it was revealed that the United States is planning to export about 60 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, with India expected to be one of the largest recipients following talks between US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Tuesday, India's infection tally climbed to 1,76,36,307 after 3,23,144 people tested positive for the coronavirus in a single day. With 2,771 additional deaths, the death toll now stands at 1,97,894.

Several campaigns are underway within the Indian diaspora in the UK to raise funds for critical supplies including oxygen concentrators and organise distribution through India's troubled hospitals through a series of emergency appeals, including by charities like the British Asian Trust and the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO).