Jab hesitancy a threat to India: Top vaccine maker SII

STATES of India have more than 200 million doses of unused Covid-19 vaccines since people are reluctant to get jabbed, the chief executive of Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer based in Pune in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, on Wednesday (17) said.

Adar Poonawalla said on Twitter, “The vaccine industry has worked tirelessly to provide enough stocks for the nation.

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Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India Ltd (ANI Photo)

“Today there are over 200 million doses available with states. I urge all adults to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccine hesitancy is now the greatest threat in overcoming this pandemic,” he said.

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Poonawalla’s family-owned firm is preparing to resume vaccine exports to the COVAX international vaccine-sharing programme for the first time since April. Covishield, the Indian version of the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by SII accounts for almost 90 per cent of the more than 1.2 billion doses administered in India so far.

However, while India is about to resume exporting vaccines to other nations after stopping for a few months in the wake of the outbreak of a devastating second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, only 41 per cent of its 944 million adult population have been fully jabbed as many have decided to stay away as the infection rate has decreased.

Eighty per cent of the adults have got at least one dose while vaccination has not started for those aged below 18.

The Indian government recently started a door-to-door vaccination campaign to cover all adults with at least the first dose by December and ensure that people also take their second and concluding shot.

India, the world’s second-most populous nation after China, has reported about 34.5 million cases of Covid-19 infections, the second worst after the United States, and more than 464,000 deaths.