# The government of India had paid an advance of over Rs 2,500 crore to Serum Institute of India (for Covishield) and Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) for supply of 16 crore doses of Covid vaccines between May and July.
Ashis Sinha I New Delhi: Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India (SII), said that the vaccine shortage in India would last for few more months. The company could not increase production overnight since vaccination production is a special process, he said.
Poonawalla said that the production of Covishield vaccines is expected to increase in July.
According to the media reports, Poonawalla said that the production capacity of the Covishield vaccine would increase from 70 million doses per month to about 100 million doses per month from July this year.
In a statement, Poonawalla said that it has orders from the Government to supply 11 crores more doses over the next few months on top of 15 crores already supplied.
Another 11 crore doses will be supplied to states and private hospitals in the next few months, it said.
“We have got all kinds of support, be it scientific, regulatory and financial. As of today, we received total orders of over 26 crore doses, of which we supplied more than 15 crore doses. We have also got 100 per cent advance of Rs 1,732.5 crore by the GOI for the next tranche of 11 crore doses in the next few months,” he said.
Presently Poonawalla is currently in London. Two days earlier he left for London along with his family alleging consistently receiving threatening calls from “powerful people” for the instant supply of Covishield vaccines to them.
In an interview, Poonawalla said to the British newspaper ‘The Times’ that due the threat of his life, he flies to London along with his wife and children, but he did not reveal anyone’s name who gave him threatening calls.
The report mentioned that “he got the calls from Indian Chief Ministers, business tycoons including others who demanded the immediate supply of Covishield vaccines.”
Poonawalla also said that the population of India is very large and to produce such huge doses of vaccine for all adults is not an easy task.
Meanwhile, the government of India had paid an advance of over Rs 2,500 crore to Serum Institute of India (for Covishield) and Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) for supply of 16 crore doses of Covid vaccines between May and July.
