Bharat Biotech Asked to Raise Covaxin Production
New Delhi: As the Covid-19 vaccination drive in India is set to open up for all people over 45 years from April 1, the Centre has asked Bharat Biotech, the manufacturer of Covaxin, to “significantly raise its production capacity”, this newspaper has learnt. Facing a supply issue of vaccines, the Centre has also constituted a panel to facilitate “capacity augmentation of domestic vaccines” manufactured for Covid-19. Of the 5,33,24,811 doses of vaccine administered in India so far, less than 50 lakh or 10% vaccine doses comprise Covaxin, the country’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine.
Top officials in the Health Ministry said nearly 8.7 crore doses of the two vaccines — largely Covishield developed by Oxford University-AstraZeneca has been sent to the states so far. But as the number of targeted beneficiaries has reached 34 crore now, the country needs 64 crore doses of vaccines for the priority population over the next few months. “This is an uphill task and unless Bharat Biotech steps up its production, it will be a big challenge,” an official said.
“The government has received requests from some small manufactures and also, a few state governments to convert other vaccine manufacturing units into Covid vaccine manufacturing units but this will require their conversion into higher standards of bio-safely levels,” a committee member said. (ENS)
