Highlights:
- SII, on the other hand, in early May had informed the Centre that Covishield manufacturing would be increased to 6.5 crore in June.
- Serum Institute stated in a recent letter to Amit Shah that its staff has been working day and night to meet the country’s growing demand for Covid vaccinations.
Official sources stated on Sunday that the Serum Institute of India (SII) notified the government that it will be able to manufacture and distribute nine to ten crore doses of Covishield in June, amid complaints from states over a lack of anti-coronavirus vaccination jabs.
SII added in a recent letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah that its employees have been working tirelessly despite the pandemic’s challenges.
In the letter, Prakash Kumar Singh, SII’s Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs, stated, “We are pleased to inform that in the month of June, in comparison to our May manufacturing capacity of 6.5 crore doses, we would be able to manufacture and supply nine to ten crore doses of our Covishield vaccine to the country.”
Mr Singh also hailed Mr Shah for his “valuable leadership and continuous support” during their efforts to make India “aatmanirbhar” (self-sufficient) in COVID-19 vaccinations and make them available to the country’s citizens.
“The Serum Institute of India has always been deeply concerned about the protection of our country’s citizens and the rest of the world against COVID-19. Our staff has been working tirelessly alongside our government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic under the leadership of our CEO, Adar C Poonawalla,” he stated in the letter.
“We guarantee you that, with the help of the Government of India and under your kind guidance, we are doing everything we can to raise our Covishield production capacity in the coming month as well.”
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Singh’s letter comes as numerous states have expressed concern over a nationwide shortage of anti-coronavirus illness vaccines, claiming that they have been forced to shut down in recent days due to the scarcity. Several states have issued global tenders for Covid-19 vaccines, including Punjab, Kerala, Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka, among others.
SII informed the Centre in early May that Covishield production would be increased to 6.5 crore in June, seven crores in July, and ten crore each in August and September.
In its COVID-19 immunisation programme, India is now using made-in-India vaccines, including SII’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.
Since the Centre’s vaccination drive began on January 16, 212 million vaccine doses have been administered across the country, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Sunday, and more than 18.3 million people in the age group of 18-44 years have been given the jab in the ongoing third phase.
