PM visits vaccine facilities: in collective fight against virus

Will apply for emergency use in two weeks, says Serum Institute

4 min readPuneNov 29, 2020 04:43 AM IST

narednra modi, covid vaccine, coronavirus vaccine, bharat biotech, serum institute, covid 19, indian express

As inexplicable is Modi’s neglect of the two areas in which decades of rule by the Dynasty produced dismal results: education and healthcare. (File)

Shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a visit to its facility in Pune, Serum Institute of India (SII) said on Saturday that it was hoping to seek an emergency-use licence within the next two weeks for the Covid-19 vaccine that it has been testing on Indian volunteers.

Apart from SII, Modi also visited the vaccine development facilities of Zydus Cadila in Ahmedabad and Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad. Both these companies are testing a vaccine they have indigenously developed.

SII, on the other hand, has been testing a vaccine developed by Oxford University and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Serum has the rights to manufacture and distribute this vaccine in India and other middle- and low-income countries. This vaccine is being tested in other countries as well.

Earlier this week, the results from one of its trials had come under a cloud over ‘errors’ in reporting the correct dosage of the vaccine, but SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said the “confusion” was unlikely to affect the fate of the vaccine in India, or even in other countries. Poonawalla ruled out additional testing of the vaccine in light of this ‘error’.

Read | PM Modi impressed with SII facility, wants vaccine out at earliest: Cyrus Poonawalla

“There was a bit of confusion in the communication, which will be explained in the coming days. But that is not going to affect the emergency-use licence for the vaccine in the UK, and should not affect that in India at all,” he said, adding, “We are in the process of applying for an emergency-use licence in India in the next two weeks.”

SII is still to announce results from its combined Phase-2 and Phase-3 testing of the vaccine. It had earlier said that this could be expected sometime in December.

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A licence for emergency use can be granted by India’s drug regulator if it is satisfied, even from preliminary results, that the vaccine is effective in preventing the disease. A full authorisation can be given only after the completion of the trials and assessment of the data generated from it.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said Modi, during his visit to the vaccine facilities, stressed that India considered these vaccines “as not only vital to good health but also as global good” and that it was “India’s duty to assist other countries, including the nations in our neighbourhood, in the collective fight against the virus”.

“The Prime Minister expressed pride in the fact that India’s indigenous vaccine development has progressed at such a rapid pace so far. He spoke on how India is following sound principles of science in the entire journey of vaccine development, while also asking for suggestions to make the vaccine distribution process better,” the statement said.

SII’s Adar Poonawalla, speaking at a virtual press conference after Modi’s visit, said it was important that all the necessary information about vaccine development is put out in a transparent manner, so that people have confidence in the vaccines.

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“In these times of vaccine hesitancy, we need to send out the right messages and not create doubts in the minds of the people,” he said. He stressed that the Oxford University vaccine was “a good one” and effective against the disease.

“There were zero hospitalisations amongst those who took the vaccine (during trials)… The vaccine can be transported at normal refrigerator temperatures, unlike some of the other candidates that require extreme cold storage,” he said.

Poonawalla said he expected the Indian government to procure about 300-400 million doses of this vaccine in the next six months. “At present, we do not have anything in writing from the government on how many doses will be purchased, but there are indications from the Health Ministry that it would be in the range of 300 to 400 million doses by July 2021,” he said.

With inputs from Avinash Nair in Ahmedabad, and Sreenivas Janyala in Hyderabad

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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