No vaccine export ban from India

The government of India has not banned the export of vaccines against COVID-19 despite their surging new cases of coronavirus, Philippine Ambassador Ramon Bagatsing Jr. said.

“The Indian government has not announced any ban on the export of vaccines. But we still have to get approval from them in order for us to send it to the Philippines,” Bagatsing said at Malacañang’s press briefing.

The Philippine government has ordered 30 million doses of Novavax manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, while local governments and the private sector ordered 8 million of Bharat Biotech’s vaccine.

The Novavax vaccines are supposed to be delivered in the third and fourth quarter of the year.

Bagatsing said as long as the regulatory approvals from the Philippines were ready, the vaccines could be shipped out.

“I don’t think the Indian government will give us a hard time getting authority or approval for export,” he said. INQ