Vaccine exporter India says it has plenty of shots for its own people

NEW DELHI: The government assured Indians on Tuesday (Mar 2) that there were plenty of COVID-19 vaccines for the country even though it has sent quantities overseas.

It also urged states not to hoard supplies.

India needs to crank up the pace of immunisation at home as it has so far inoculated more than 12 million people. It wants to vaccinate 300 million people - a fifth of its population - against the virus by August.

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It makes 60 per cent of all vaccines in the world and has gifted or sold COVID-19 shots to several countries.

"The Central Government has adequate stock and will provide the required vaccine doses to the States and Union Territories, the federal government said in a statement.

States should not "store, reserve, conserve or create a buffer stock of the COVID vaccines", it said.

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At more than 11 million, India has reported the highest number of cases in the world after the United States. The death toll stands at 157,248.

Recorded cases have fallen continuously since a mid-September peak, before again rising since early February. 

Eight of 10 recent infections have been reported by five states, mainly Maharashtra and Kerala.

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