India to resume vaccine exports in October

India will resume exports and donations of Covid vaccines from October after a long hiatus due to a devastating surge in domestic infections in April.

"In the context of mass vaccination drive and the scaling-up of production in India, the honourable health minister of India has said India will help other countries and also fulfil its responsibility towards COVAX," the Indian High Commission in Dhaka said.

In saying this, it specified that India's "neighbouring countries will be first."

"Supplies should start in reasonable quantities soon, with priority partners like Bangladesh being among the earliest recipients," said the high commission.

Indian health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the surplus vaccines will be used to fulfil India's "commitment towards the world for the collective fight against Covid-19," but vaccinating Indians will remain the government's "topmost priority."

India was expected to be a key supplier for the world, and the UN-backed initiative aimed at vaccine equity known as COVAX. It began exporting doses in January but stopped due to a massive surge in infections in April that pushed the country's health system to the breaking point.

The halt in exports left many developing countries without adequate supplies and delayed vaccines for millions of people.

Before halting exports, India donated or sold 66 million vaccine doses to nearly 100 countries.

Mansukh did not specify how many doses would be exported. He said India's monthly Covid vaccine production has more than doubled since April and is expected to increase to 300 million doses in October.

"We will help the world and fulfil our responsibility to COVAX," he said.

Serum Institute of India, the world's largest maker of vaccines, is now producing an estimated 150 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine each month, a more than twofold increase since April.

India's inoculations have risen in recent months.

A country of nearly 1.4 billion people, India has administered more than 800 million vaccine doses.