India may get Covid vaccine by March, says Serum official

Dr Suresh Jadhav, executive director of the Serum Institute of India, told The Indian Express that India is heading fast towards vaccine development, as two manufacturers are already in phase-3 trial and one in the phase-2 trial, and more players are joining the race.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Oct 17, 2020 07:13 AM IST

India may get Covid vaccine by March, says Serum official

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organisation, said a vaccine against Covid-19 should be ready by the second quarter of next year. (Representational Image)

India may get a Covid-19 vaccine by March 2021, provided regulators give signals fast, “as multiple manufacturers are working on it”, according to Dr Suresh Jadhav, executive director of the Serum Institute of India, which is testing the Oxford -AstraZeneca vaccine candidate in the country.

He told The Indian Express that India is heading fast towards vaccine development, as two manufacturers are already in phase-3 trial and one in the phase-2 trial, and more players are joining the race.

Stating that there are “ups and downs in any vaccine clinical trial”, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist at the World Health Organization, also said a vaccine against Covid-19 should be ready by the second quarter of next year. She told The Indian Express, “By January 2021 we should be able to see results, and by the second quarter of 2021 the vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 should be ready.”

Dr Swaminathan, however, reiterated the WHO’s stance against allowing the virus to spread unchecked to reach herd immunity, emphasising that the concept should be discussed only within the context of a vaccine. She told The Indian Express that once there is a vaccine one can aim to have herd immunity – as there will be a need to vaccinate at least 70 per cent people and have them protected to break the transmission.

Read | PM Modi takes stock of Covid vaccine distribution plans

Addressing the India Vaccine Accessibility e-Summit, Dr Jadhav said, “We can produce 700-800 million vaccine doses every year once things are streamlined. Although 55 per cent of the population is below 50 years of age, as per availability of vaccines healthcare workers should get the vaccines first, then people over 60 years with comorbidities, followed by the rest of the populace.”

As far as Serum Institute is concerned, he said, “We will be ready with 60-70 million dosages of vaccines by December 2020, but that will come in the market in 2021 after the clearance of licencing. Thereafter, we will produce more and more dosages, with the government’s permission.”

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Speaking at the same event, Prof Bejon Kumar Misra, international consumer policy expert, said it is important that the vaccine is thoroughly tested before rollout.

Samir Deb, pharmaceutical professional, consultant vaccine and public affairs consultant, Southeast Asia, said, “Proven success factors of H1N1 and Ebola have turned out guiding principles in Covid-19 vaccine development.”

Dr Jadhav said, “Vaccine development takes eight to 10 years, but this is the third time we are able to produce this one in a short time. The WHO has also taken initiative to make the process fast and easy.”

On herd immunity, Dr Swaminathan told The Indian Express: “It is not a good idea to try to achieve herd immunity by letting the infection run wild in the population. We need to talk in terms of a vaccine; we need to vaccinate enough people – with a vaccine one can achieve immunity and herd immunity safely. Through natural infection it (herd immunity) can be achieved, but it will be at a great human cost.”

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She also said that there are “actions that we can take to slow down transmission via public health measures, and also ensure enough testing, isolating and contract tracing is done to ensure that lives are saved”.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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