Bengaluru: While India continues to export corona vaccines to the rest of the world, Serum Institute India chief Adar Poonawalla has announced that the company may launch a second coronavirus vaccine in June this year. It is needless to say it will India’s third vaccine if it gets green-signalled. 

Poonawalla took to Twitter saying, "Our partnership for a COVID-19 vaccine with @Novavax has also published excellent efficacy results. We have also applied to start trials in India. Hope to launch #COVOVAX by June 2021!"

 

India also has another vaccine called the covaxin produced by Bharat Biotech. 

India has till date exported 55 lakh doses of the vaccine to many countries – except Pakistan and China – in the neighbourhood.

The countries are:

1. Sri Lanka
2. Nepal
3. Bangladesh
4. Maldives
5. Bhutan
6. Myanmar
7. Seychelles
8. Brazil
9. Morocco
10. Mauritius
11. Bahrain

India had also registered more than 1 million vaccinations within the first six days of the mega drive, becoming the fastest country to do so.

It should be noted that the vaccination drive began in India on January 16. The vaccines were produced indigenously. They are Covishield and Covaxin.

What is of greater importance and significance is that India has achieved this feat while providing vaccines to other nations as well.

“India was the fastest country to reach 1 million Covid-19 vaccinations within six days. The United States achieved it in 10 days, Spain in 12 days, Israel in 14 days, the United Kingdom in 18 days, Italy in 19 days, Germany in 20 days and the United Arab Emirates in 27 days,” Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said in New Delhi on Thursday, as quoted by Times Now.  

This move will give India more credibility and success in its endeavour to establish itself as the manufacturing hub of the world.