Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting three different cities on Saturday, 28 November to take stock of COVID-19 vaccines being produced. These are Ahmedabad, Pune and Hyderabad. The PM is first expected to visit the facilities of Zydus Cadila in Ahmedabad where ZyCoV-D is being developed.
The Prime Minister’s Office tweeted, “As India enters a decisive phase of the fight against COVID-19, PM @narendramodi’s visit to these facilities & discussions with the scientists will help him get a first hand perspective of the preparations, challenges & roadmap in India’s endeavour to vaccinate its citizens.”
Zydus Cadila is developing its COVID-19 vaccine at Vaccine Technology Centre, located at its Changodar park. The vaccine manufacturer will reportedly be applying for phase 3 of clinical trials in December. It is expected to launch the vaccine in the market by April 2021, reported Moneycontrol.
Second Stop: Serum Institute of Pune
After Ahmedabad, PM Modi is expected to arrive in Maharashtra at the Serum Institute of Pune. The Pune-based drug manufacturing company is the Indian partner that is producing the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine that’s expected to be ready by around April 2021.
Modi is reportedly visiting the institute to understand the production process of the vaccine that’s being considered the most promising one for India. The COVID-19 vaccine, being jointly developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca, was recently announced to have 70 percent efficacy after a large-scale trial.
Administrative and police officials from Pune and the adjoining Pimpri-Chinchwad area have already met to discuss the arrangements that are to be made for the PM’s visit, reported The Indian Express. On 4 December, Ambassadors and High Commissioners from 100 countries are expected to visit both the Serum Institute and Gennova Biopharmaceuticals.
The vaccine, that’s being dubbed Covishield in India, is especially being favoured as it is priced lower than those being developed by Moderna and Pfizer and does not require extreme low temperatures for storage.
Last Stop: Bharat Biotech’s Facility in Hyderabad
After Pune, PM Modi will be visiting vaccine maker Bharat Biotech's facility in Hyderabad.
Modi is scheduled to land at the Hakimpet Air Force Station around 4 pm and from there he will reach Bharat Biotech's facility at Genome Valley, where the work is underway on Covaxin, India's first indigenous vaccine for coronavirus being developed by the company in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Modi is likely to spend an hour at the vaccine-making plant and return to Delhi at 5.10 pm, reported IANS.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)