Bengaluru: Serum Institute of India (SII) is all set to expand its manufacturing of Covishield vaccine.  The vaccine is developed by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, as reported by Livemint.

It is to be noted that the institute has already produced five crore doses of the vaccine. Now it aims to manufacture 10 crore doses of the vaccine each month starting 2021. 

 

As per details shared by Poonawalla, SII is working to increase its capacity to produce as many as 250 crore doses a year by the end of 2021. The company has already expanded its capacity to produce as many as 150 crore vaccines annually.

It should be noted that Poonawalla has already stated that for SII, which is the world's largest vaccine maker, India shall be the priority market for the delivery of Covishield stocks, following which it would look to supply stocks to COVAX batch of nations which are mainly based in Africa.

 

Here are some more interesting facts about the vaccine production: 

1.    With the entire world in search of a vaccine for the coronavirus, India is all set to meet the global demand for vaccine production.

2. India is the largest manufacturer of medicinal vaccines in the world, standing at more than 60%.

3. India is looking to make hay while the sun shines. It is looking at manufacturing eight more vaccines which are not just efficient but economical as well. AstraZeneca’s Covishield is being called the vaccine of the world as it strives to be affordable and easily available for all nations.

4. About 64 foreign envoys recently visited India’s COVID-19 facilities in Hyderabad, a trip organised by the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA), in a bid to showcase Indian companies’ prowess in building the vaccine to fight COVID-19.