COVID-19 Vaccination in India May Start in Jan, Says SII CEO Adar Poonawalla

New Delhi: The Covid-19 vaccination drive may begin in India by January, said Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII).

The SII is testing and manufacturing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate and is expecting to get emergency-use authorization by month-end.

Everyone in India is likely to be vaccinated by October 2021 following which normal life could return, Poonawalla said while addressing the Economic Times Global Business Summit.

He said, “By this month-end, we might get an emergency licence [for the coronavirus vaccine], but the actual licence for wider use might come in at a later date. But we are confident that if the regulators give a nod, India’s vaccination drive can start by January 2021”.