India stuck with COVID-19 vaccines it can't export

A woman reacts as she receives a dose of COVISHIELD, a vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) manufactured by Serum Institute of India, at a shopping mall in Mumbai, India, August 11, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/Files

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is struggling to export its surplus of COVID-19 vaccines as logistical hurdles delay their use in many countries despite low levels of inoculation, vaccine producer the Serum Institute of India (SII) and a government official said on Tuesday.

The SII, the world's biggest vaccine maker that produces the AstraZeneca, Novavax and Sputnik COVID-19 shots, has already announced plans to temporarily halve output of the AstraZeneca drug until more orders came, including possibly through boosters.