Sputnik V dose shortage ‘to delay India’s full rollout’

India’s full rollout of the Sputnik V Covid -19 vaccine will have to be put on hold until the Russian producer provides equal quantities of its two differing doses, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories said yesterday.Dr Reddy’s had received about 3mn first doses by June 1 and about 360,000 doses of the second by early this month, the company and the Indian government have said.“As a matter of responsibility, we would not like to announce a full-fledged commercial launch until we have an equivalent quantity (of the second dose),” Dr Reddy’s said.Dr Reddy’s, which originally planned a full rollout in mid-June, is currently running a pilot programme under which more than 195,000 doses have been administered at hospitals across the country.“It is our commitment to ensure supply of component two in equal quantity and on time to all partner hospitals to whom we have supplied dose one,” the company said, declining to share more details ahead of its financial results.India has approved a gap of 21 days between the two doses.The Russian Direct Investment Fund, which markets the vaccine abroad, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The Indian government expects 100mn locally produced and imported Sputnik V doses to be available in the country between August and December.India is expected to be one of the biggest manufacturing hubs of the vaccine.India has administered more than 375mn vaccine doses, the world’s most after China.It is mainly relying on the AstraZeneca shot and one developed at home by Bharat Biotech and the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research.Daily vaccinations hit a national record of 9.2mn doses on June 21 but have dropped to around 4mn per dayMeanwhile, the country’s top doctor’s body warned yesterday that opening India’s tourist destinations and allowing religious travel could act as Covid -19 “super spreaders” of a third wave of infections, After a catastrophic second wave, driven largely by the more infectious and dangerous Delta variant, ravaged the country’s health system, India is now reporting roughly a tenth of its peak daily numbers in May.But experts worry that a third wave of infections is not far off as travel restrictions are eased in various parts of the country.The Indian Medical Association, India’s top doctor’s body, appealed to state governments and citizens to not lower their guard against Covid-19, saying a third wave was inevitable.“It is painful to note, in this crucial time...in many parts of the country, both government and public are complacent and engaged in mass gatherings without following Covid protocols,” the IMA said in a press release.The comments from the IMA echoed those from senior government officials, who have urged citizens to avoid crowding at tourist places and cautioned that the second coronavirus wave is not yet over.“Tourist bonanza, local travel  are all needed, but can wait for few more months,” the IMA said, adding that opening up for these rituals and enabling unvaccinated people to go to these mass gatherings are “potential super spreaders for the Covid third wave.”India yesterday reported 37,154 new Covid cases and 724 new deaths in the last 24 hours, health ministry data showed, compared to the peak of over 400,000 infections a day in May.