Covid-19 pandemic: SII partners CII in push to vaccinate rural areas

The Serum Institute of India (SII) said on Friday it had partnered the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to expand the reach of Covid-19 shots in the countryside as it had "plenty of supply" of the AstraZeneca drug.

 

India has reported more than 31.5 million coronavirus infections in the world, the most after the US, with 423,217 deaths.

 

While some 452 million vaccine doses have been administered, the pace of inoculations in rural areas, where two-thirds of India’s 1.35 billion people live, has lagged that of urban centres.

 

SII will be working with the CII, which has set up vaccination camps in smaller towns and rural areas.

 

“While SII has manufactured the vaccine at scale within a short period of time, it is essential that all stakeholders work together towards carrying out the inoculations,” CEO Adar Poonawalla said.