SII Ready With Stockpile of 40-50 Mn Covishield Vaccine Doses

The first six months of next year would perhaps see a shortage of vaccine doses globally, Adar Poonawalla has said.

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), said on Monday, 28 December, that the firm is ready with a stockpile of around 40-50 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covishield’.

The SII along with Bharat Biotech had applied for the emergency authorisation of their COVID-19 vaccines with the DCGI earlier this month.

“India is a part of COVAX. We will keep giving 50% of everything we make to India & to COVAX at the same time,” he said.

“Initially for the first month, we may give most of the volumes to India, because, in order to export, we have to go through the WHO pre-qualification procedure, which may take another month or so after it is licensed in India. That way, India will have priority,” he added.