"Still short of being able to supply to every Indian," says CEO of Serum Institute of India

very stressed, to put it franky: CEO of Serum Institute of India

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII) on Tuesday said that" very stressed, to put it frankly" . Serum institute produced around 60 to 65 million doses of vaccine per month and so far it has provided around 100 million doses of supply to centre but is "still short of being able to supply to every Indian, who needs a vaccine. Poonawalla also said that "The globe needs vaccines ...we are prioritizing the needs but still short of being able to supply them”.

Talking about the price of the vaccine doses, it is said that they are supplied in India at rupees 150 to 160  and the average price is around rupees 1,500 but due to the Modi government's request , “we are providing it at a subsidized rate and we are not making a profit from it” Poonawala added.

Further, he also talked about increasing the capacity to around 100 million doses per month and that India would need other manufactures to scale up to meet the requirements. He told about the ban in export last month where the Centre said it was pausing major Covid shield shipments and the first claim deal with India was difficult to explain abroad and it sold at a 'very high cost'. 

However, the cases in India are increasing at an alarming rate, the need for a vaccine has become a basic necessity for every human. Currently people above the age of 45 are getting vaccinated in India.