New Delhi (NVI): In the backdrop of increasing cases of COVID-19 in India, Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla today requested US President Joe Biden to lift the embargo on export of raw materials needed to manufacture vaccines out of the United States so that vaccine production can be ramped-up.
Taking to Twitter, Poonawalla said, “Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details.”
Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details. ??
— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) April 16, 2021
Poonawalla’s statement came as India faces a massive second wave of coronavirus infection while several states have been claiming shortage of Covid vaccine as the focus is on inoculating maximum number of eligible people amid.
Currently, SII, the world’s largest maker of vaccines, is manufacturing the anti-coronavirus vaccine Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. It is not only being used in India but also exported to a number of nations.
Recently, Poonawalla had said that SII would need around ₹3,000 crore to ramp up Covid vaccine production capacity.
The Pune-based company has already delivered over 100 million doses to India and exported around 60 million doses to other countries.
India logged in a record 2,17,353 new Covid-19 cases as many states grappled with shortages of hospital beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccine shots.
The daily new cases in the deadly second wave took the overall tally to 1.42 crore.
–PRT
