Serum Institute has produced five to six million Covovax doses: Adar Poonawalla
Covovax is the only COVID vaccine made in India which is approved in the US and Europe. Currently, the demand is very small, Poonawalla said.
New Delhi: The prevalent strain of COVID-19 is mild and the Serum Institute of India (SII) has already produced five to six million doses of the Covovax vaccine, said the company's chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla. Poonawalla was talking to media persons amid rising cases of coronavirus infections in the country since March.
Currently, the COVID strain is not severe, it is just a mild strain. Just for precautionary measures, elderly people can get the booster dose, but it would be their choice whether or not to take it. Five to six million doses of Covovax are available. We will also produce the same amount of Covishield doses in the next two to three months, said Poonawalla.
As per a health bulletin of the Maharashtra government on Friday, the XBB.1.16 variant of Omicron is currently the dominant strain in the state.
The Centre on Friday asked eight states, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, to maintain a strict watch and take preemptive action in any area of concern to control any emerging spread of infection.
We are providing Covovax in the US and Europe. It is the only COVID vaccine made in India which is approved in the US and Europe. Currently, the demand is very small, Poonawalla added.
Read also: Rise in COVID cases: Serum Institute restarts manufacturing of Covishield
Serum Institute of India was founded in 1966 by Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla. The company is now the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by number of doses produced and sold globally (more than 1.5 billion doses) which includes Polio vaccine, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hib, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, Rubella as well as Pneumococcal and Covid-19 vaccines. Vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute are accredited by the World Health Organization, Geneva and are being used in around 170 countries across the globe in their national immunization programs. The company has modern laboratories with high-tech machinery and computerized equipment for the production and testing of its life saving biologicals.
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