Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla in a statement, laid to rest all apprehensions regarding government's vaccine export policy- thereby laying down the basic premise behind SII's vaccine distribution policy, both domestically and abroad. The firm has "never exported vaccines at the cost of the people of India. India's vaccination drive cannot be completed in two or three months given the huge population," said Poonawalla.
He also pointed out the circumstances in which consignments of vaccines were sent abroad and the commitments made by the government in the initial stages of the pandemic last year. "People do not tend to realise that India is amongst the two most populous countries in the world and the vaccination drive for such a population cannot be completed in two to three months," added Poonawalla. "Serum has delivered 200 million doses, even though we received emergency use authorisation two months after the US pharma companies. If we look at the total doses produced and delivered we rank among the top three in the world," he added.
"We must also understand that this pandemic is not limited by geographic or political boundaries. We will not be safe until everyone in the world is able to defeat the virus," the statement said. The Modi administration, has come under heavy criticism for its botched up vaccination strategy and not ordering enough vaccines to give to the people.
