Serum Institute of India to start Covishield supply to COVAX countries

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Serum Institute of India (SII) will start COVID-19 vaccines supply to COVAX countries soon, sources said on Monday.

Serum Institute of India was supposed to start Covishield vaccine supply to COVAX countries from Monday, after it received approval from the government of India, to supply COVID vaccines to other countries.

“The first consignment from the Pune facility of Serum Institute of India was scheduled to leave for Nepal today. However, due to some reason, it has been delayed by two to three days,” said SII sources.

“However the clarity on the exact date of the consignment dispatch is still awaited,” sources added.

Earlier, the government of India has allowed the SII to start the supply of vaccines to other countries in the world. The supply of COVID vaccines to other countries was banned by the government in April this year.

Earlier, in a tweet Serum Institute of India`s chairman, Adar Poonawala had said that around 200 million doses of Covishield are stockpiled with the states in India.

Being the world`s largest manufacturer of vaccines, SII now produces over 120 million doses of Covishield every month, and according to some sources, there are over 150 million doses stockpiled in the manufacturer’s Shalini Bhardwaj Pune facility.