Africa’s COVID vaccine campaigns hurt by India’s export ban

Several African countries lack AstraZeneca vaccines to administer second doses after India bans exports due to crisis.

Africa’s vaccination campaigns to battle COVID-19 are facing significant delays because of the export ban imposed by India as it grapples with a devastating resurgence of the disease, Africa’s top health official has said. The AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India was to be an integral part of the United Nations-backed COVAX initiative to distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income nations. India’s deadly crisis and its decision to halt all exports of the vaccines it produces had badly affected Africa’s mass vaccination drive, which was already lagging behind many other parts of the world, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Thursday.