PremiumSerum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla announced on Saturday that he will return to India in a few days. He is currently in London.
"Had an excellent meeting with all our partners and stakeholders in the UK. Meanwhile, pleased to state that Covishield's production is in full swing in Pune. I look forward to reviewing operations upon my return in a few days," Poonawalla said in a midnight tweet.
The statement came after he indicated in an interview with ‘The Times’ that he is in London currently due to business plans to expand vaccine manufacturing to countries outside India, which may include the likes of the UK.
"There's going to be an announcement in the next few days," he had said when asked about Britain as one of the production bases outside India.
In the same interview, Poonawalla spoke out about the pressures he was under over the production of Covid-19 vaccines to meet the demand in India as the country battles through a devastating second wave of the coronavirus.
Several states in India flagged concerns of a shortage of vaccines on Saturday as the country kicked off the third phase of its inoculation drive.
Delhi, Odisha, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Punjab had said they do not have adequate doses to start vaccinating individuals in the 18-44 age group.
Some states announced the third phase of the immunisation drive in selected districts, while some announced vaccination for only those above 35 years of age.
Premium Premium Meanwhile, India's daily coronavirus tally crossed the grim milestone of four lakh, while the death toll rose to 2,11,853 with 3,523 fresh fatalities, according to date updated by the Union health ministry on Saturday.
The infection tally rose to 1,91,64,969 with 4,01,993 new cases, while the active cases crossed the 32-lakh mark.
Registering a steady increase, the active cases stood at 32,68,710, accounting for 17.06% of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate further dropped to 81.84%.
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