New Delhi: India, which is world's second most-populated country, has emerged as the biggest covid-19 vaccines buyer in the world. According to a global analysis, India has purchased almost 1.6 billion doses of the vaccine.
These doses have been secured from various drug makers across the world who are currently frontrunners in the race of vaccine development.
India has purchased around 500 million doses of the AstraZeneca Plc's and Oxford University's vaccine candidate and one billion doses from the US company Novax. Both of these vaccine candidates are being manufactured by Pune based Serum Institute in India.
Meanwhile, India has also ordered 100 million doses of Russia's authorised vaccine Sputnik V which is being developed by Hyderabad based pharmaceutical company Dr Reddy's.
The analysis, called 'Launch and Scale Speedometer' showed India has confirmed 1.6 billion doses of these vaccines as on November 30. Since all the three vaccines follow double dose regime, the ordered number of doses will be enough to cover 60 per cent of India's population.
India is followed by European Union which has ordered 1.58 billion doses. The United States, which is world's most affected country by the pandemic, has managed to purchase over a billion doses, according to a PTI report.
"Countries with manufacturing capacity, such as India and Brazil, have been successful in negotiating large advance market commitments with leading vaccine candidates as part of the manufacturing agreements," PTI quoted the Duke researchers' analysis.
Meanwhile, PM Modi, on Friday said that India can expect a successful vaccine against the virus in few weeks. He said that our scientists who have been tirelessly working to develop a vaccine are sure that they will be successful in their endeavour.
Earlier, India Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said that the country will have 400-500 million doses of covid-19 vaccines which are estimated to cover 250 to 300 million people and will be available by July-August 2021.
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