British government says no surplus vaccine doses for India, media reports

A COVID-19-positive patient gets primary treatment inside an ambulance as she waits for admission into a government hospital in Ahmedabad, India, April 26, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson was quoted by The Times of India as saying that "right now we are moving through the UK prioritization list and don't have surplus doses" to share with countries in need such as India.

NEW DELHI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Britain has no surplus of COVID-19 vaccines to give to India as it faces a deadly wave of COVID-19, Reuters reported Thursday quoting British Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Asked whether the government can release any doses to support India at a press conference, Hancock said "we don't have any excess doses of vaccine in the UK at the moment."

Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesperson was quoted by The Times of India as saying that "right now we are moving through the UK prioritization list and don't have surplus doses" to share with countries in need such as India.

India has been facing a deteriorating COVID-19 situation. As of Wednesday, the country has recorded 17,997,267 infections and 201,187 deaths.

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that India alone accounted for 38 percent of all infections recorded in the seven-day period that ended on April 25.