India's vaccines against covid-19 are running out

Collapse in India due to the covid-19 pandemic 1:07

(CNN) -

India has the world's largest vaccine production capacity, but is suffering a devastating second wave of coronavirus infections, just as supplies of covid-19 vaccines for its huge population are running low.

The government has purchased at least 205.5 million doses of covid-19 vaccines, according to data from the Duke Global Health Innovation Center, placing India among the world's top 10 vaccine buyers.

But those doses would only cover 8% of its 1.4 billion inhabitants.

As of Tuesday, India had applied 147.7 million doses of covid-19 vaccines, according to the Ministry of Health.

Some 2.4 million of those were applied that day alone, the ministry said.

While that sounds like a lot of vaccines, India ranks low in per capita vaccination, with just 11 doses delivered per 100 people compared to 69 in the United States and Britain, according to Our World in Data.

India exceeds 200,000 deaths from covid-19 0:57

The country is inoculating two vaccines domestically: the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine, known as Covishield in India, and its own Covaxin, jointly developed by Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) run by the government.

In mid-April, India also approved Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, after ordering 100 million doses last September.

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Before the pandemic, India typically produced more than 60% of all vaccines sold globally.

It is home to the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, and its vast manufacturing capacity is the reason the country was incorporated as a major player in COVAX, the global vaccine exchange initiative. which provides free or discounted doses for lower income countries.

Under the initial agreement announced last year, the SII would manufacture up to 200 million doses for 92 countries.

• PHOTOS |

  The covid-19 crisis in India in pictures

But the ferocity of India's second wave of infections has disrupted those plans.

Faced with the crisis, the government and the SII have shifted their focus from providing vaccines to COVAX to prioritizing their own citizens.

Starting May 1, all residents over the age of 18 will be eligible for vaccination.

Private vaccination providers will also be able to sell and administer vaccines.

But state ministers have warned that there are simply not enough vaccines, even if more people become eligible.

As of April 28, India had exported a total of 66 million doses of vaccines to countries around the world, according to the Foreign Ministry.

CNN's Jessie Yeung, Esha Mitra, and Swati Gupta contributed to this report.

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