There won’t be enough COVID-19 vaccine for all till 2024, says CEO of Serum Institute

Sept. 16: Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, world’s largest vaccine manufacturer has estimated that there won’t be enough vaccines available for everybody on the planet until 2024 end. “If the Covid-19 shot is a two-dose vaccine — such as measles or rotavirus — the world will need 15 billion doses,” said Adar Poonawalla.

The Pune-based Serum Institute of India has partnered with five international pharmaceutical firms, including AstraZeneca and Novavax, to develop a Covid-19 vaccine and committed to producing one billion doses, of which it has pledged half to India. In leading the vaccine trials, he has urged the world to be patient and not jump to conclusions until the trials are completed.

Meanwhile, a day before Poonawala’s comment, India’s Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that while there has been no date fixed on the availability of a potential Covid-19 vaccine, chances are it may be ready by the first quarter of 2021. He assured the vaccine will be first made available to those who need it the most, irrespective of their paying capacity.

Serum Institute of India is the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, producing 1.5 billion doses of vaccines annually for use in more than 170 countries to protect against many infectious diseases, such as polio, measles and influenza.