KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine is in talks with Indian medical firm Serum Institute on supplying COVID-19 vaccines, Interfax Ukraine news agency quoted a deputy Ukrainian health minister as saying on Wednesday.
“Negotiations are underway with an Indian manufacturer, Serum Institute, which can produce the American Novovax vaccine and has the ability to produce the AstraZeneca vaccine at the moment,” Interfax quoted Ihor Ivashchenko as saying.
He gave no further details.
India will initially only ship the AstraZeneca vaccine, made by The Serum Institute, the world’s biggest vaccine maker, which brands the shot as COVISHIELD.
Ukraine, which registered more that 1.17 million coronavirus cases and 21,258 deaths, has already agreed to buy some vaccines from China and also expects to secure some under the global COVAX programme for poorer countries.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, editing by Louise Heavens)
