Does govt have Rs 80,000 crore for COVID-19 vaccine: Serum Institute's CEO

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), asked if the government will have Rs 80,000 crore available over the next one year, which is the amount, according to him, needed to buy and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine across the country. The CEO of the world's largest vaccine maker also said that all manufacturers and the government need to plan and guide to cater to the immense need for COVID-19 immunisation.

New Delhi: Amid growing concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus, Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer of Serum Institute of India (SII), on Saturday asked if the central government has Rs 80,000 crore to spend over the next one year on purchase and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

"Quick question; will the government of India have 80,000 crores available, over the next one year? Because that's what @MoHFW_INDIA needs, to buy and distribute the vaccine to everyone in India. This is the next concerning challenge we need to tackle," Poonawalla tweeted, tagging the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

"I ask this question because we need to plan and guide, vaccine manufacturers both in India and overseas to service the needs of our country in terms of procurement and distribution," Poonawalla added.

The CEO of the world's largest vaccine maker also said that all manufacturers and the government need to plan and guide to cater to the immense need for COVID-19 immunisation.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Pune-based Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine maker by the number of doses produced, is working on several vaccine candidates for the novel coronavirus.

The Serum Institute is currently conducting a phase 3 clinical trial of a vaccine co-developed by AstraZeneca plc and the University of Oxford, of which the Pune-based company plans to manufacture 1 billion doses.