PUNE: Nearly 1.5 crore doses of the Covishield
vaccine, manufactured by the
Serum Institute of India, will be dispatched from Pune to other parts of the country next week.
A senior staffer with Kool-Ex, the logistics company involved with the transportation of the vaccine, said the new batch of doses is for
frontline workers.
“Most of the consignment will be moved by road. Last week, we delivered 1.1 crore doses as part of the second order by the Centre. The new doses are meant for frontline workers and they will all be delivered by the end of next week,” the employee said.
Sources from the company said the closure of
Pune airport — from April 26 to May 9 due to runway re-carpeting — will have no impact on vaccine dispatch from the city.
“Almost all major consignments are now being transported via roads,” the Kool-Ex staffer said.
He added that the doses being dispatched next week will be delivered to state depots from where they will be sent to sites administering the vaccine. “The vaccines will be delivered to the same locations as last time — including Karnal, Surat, Mumbai, Pune, Belagavi, Jhansi and other centres. There are at least 48 small depots that receive delivery first.”
Maharashtra has already started vaccinating its frontline workers — including members of police units and municipality staff — as part of phase 2 of
Covid inoculation.
Nationwide data showed that by Saturday evening, Covid vaccines had been administered to over 80 lakh healthcare and frontline workers.