India indefinitely puts on hold AstraZeneca's vaccine shipment to Canada
Shipments of the coronavirus vaccine from the Serum Institute to Canada have been put on hold for an indefinite period as India has temporarily stopped vaccine exports so as to cater to domestic needs. According to Sputnik, New Delhi is concentrating on immunization at home due to a spike in domestic cases. "We are working with the company on determining when the doses will arrive. We are expecting a delay in the shipment," Joelle Paquette, Director General, of Procurement Support Services Sector, told reporters on Thursday. "We do not have the information [about] when we're going to get the doses," she further added. Paquette, however, noted Canada received assurances from the Serum Institute that they are committed to meeting their contractual obligations. As per the terms of a contract signed in February, Canada is set to receive an additional 1.5 million vaccine doses from the company by mid-May, in addition to the 500,000 doses received last month