Covid-19: PM Modi likely to visit Serum Institute on Saturday to take stock of vaccine production
Serum Institute has partnered with AstraZeneca and Oxford University to produce the Covishield vaccine.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Serum Institute of India on Saturday to take a stock of the production and distribution plan of the potential coronavirus vaccine, reported the Hindustan Times. The Pune-based drug manufacturer has partnered with AstraZeneca and Oxford University to produce the Covishield vaccine.
“We have received a confirmation about PM Modi’s visit to the Serum Institute of India on Saturday,” Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao told PTI. He, however, said that a minute-to-minute programme detail is yet to be received.
The prime minister will visit various facilities at Serum’s Hadapsar campus where the Pune firm has began the production of the Covishield vaccine, according to the Hindustan Times. The prime minister’s office has not yet confirmed the visit.
On Tuesday, Rao had said talked the possibility of Modi’s visit, PTI reported. He had said that ambassadors and envoys from 100 countries will also visit the Serum Institute of India and the Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd in Pune on December 4.
The Covishield vaccine is currently undergoing the final phase of clinical trials in India. The Serum Institute has already produced over 20 lakh doses of the vaccine candidate for use in testing.
On Wednesday, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said that the vaccine may be ready by December and the first batch of 100 million doses should be available by the second or third quarter of 2021.
On Monday, AstraZeneca and Oxford University informed that the potential vaccine has shown more than 70% overall efficacy in a third phase interim trial.