The Centre on Friday, 19 March, asked Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) to manufacturer 10 crore doses of the Covishield vaccine for COVID-19 as it prepares to accelerate the vaccination drive in the country.
The Centre had procured 6.6 crore doses of Covishield for the first phase of vaccination where healthcare workers and front-line workers were inoculated and another subsequent order of 10 crore doses was made to vaccinate the elderly. SII officials said that the first batch of vaccines has been delivered to the government, reported The Indian Express.
The report added that it was difficult to arrive at a timeline as to when the latest batch of vaccines can be manufactured and delivered as the process of making a vaccine is a continuous one.
SII has also been producing and providing Covishield to several poor nations though the GAVI-led COVAX, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO). According to officials, it is likely that more than 70 countries have already received the vaccine.
So far, 4.20 crore doses of corona vaccines have been administered in the country since the drive began on 16 January after approval for Covishield and Covaxin.
More than 18.16 lakh doses were administered on a single day on Friday.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)