Vaccine alliance announces supply delays from manufacturer in India

A vial of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine (Admir Buljubasic/AP)

The UN-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 on 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.