New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday interacted with representatives of seven Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers, including Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla.
Sources said that Prime Minister Modi discussed various issues, including taking forward vaccine research, during the meeting.
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Besides Poonawalla, representatives from Bharat Biotech, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Zydus Cadila, Biological E, Genoa Biopharma and Panacea Biotech participated in the meeting.
The meeting, which was also attended by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State for Health Bharati Praveen Pawar, assumes significance as the country has achieved an important milestone of delivering 100 crore doses of jabs.
Crediting Prime Minister Modi’s vision for the milestone, the CEO of Serum Institute said they discussed in the meeting how to move the industry forward and prepare for future pandemics.
“Now all over the world, countries are going to invest in vaccine production and India needs to be ahead. We discussed how to do this together with the industry and the government,” he said, PTI reported.
His father Cyrus Poonawalla also echoed similar sentiments.
“If it had not been for his (Modi) and (he) health ministry, India would not have been able to make a billion doses today. There is no doubt in my mind about this,” he said.
Zydus Cadila President Pankaj Patel, on his part, said that Prime Minister Modi was the “biggest factor” in the development of a DNA-based Covid vaccine.
With the administration of 68,48,417 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage has crossed the 100 crore mark.
The cumulative number of cured patients (since the start of the pandemic) has increased to 3,35,32,126 from 17,677 patients recovered in the last 24 hours.
As a result, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.16 per cent. The recovery rate is currently at its highest peak since March 2020.
All adult population in nine states and union territories including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Dadra and Nagar Haveli have received at least one dose of Covid so far 19 Vaccines, PTI reported.
At present, three vaccines including Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Sputnik V are being used in the country’s Covid vaccination campaign.
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