What does indemnity to foreign vaccines mean for India?
India is currently facing an acute shortage of COVID-19 vaccines with the Centre receiving brickbats for its vaccination policy, which fell short when the country was hit by a severe second wave of COVID-19 in March-April. The central government had halted the exports of COVID-19 vaccine shots earlier, given under the 'Vaccine Maitri' programme and scrambled to procure more jabs to address the shortage. The government is now likely to grant indemnity to Pfizer and Moderna to expedite the vaccination process in the country. The Pune based Serum Institute of India has become the latest pharma company to ask for indemnity from liability, stating that all vaccine manufacturers, whether Indian or foreign, should be protected against legal suits for any severe side effects. ADVERTISEMENT