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Pune: The first batch of Covovax, a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Novavax Inc, is being manufactured at the Serum Institute of India's Pune facility, SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said on Friday.
"Excited to witness the first batch of Covovax (developed by @Novavax) being manufactured this week at our facility in Pune. The vaccine has great potential to protect our future generations below the age of 18. Trials are ongoing. Well done team @seruminstindia," Poonawalla said in a tweet.
In March this year, he had said that the clinical trials of Covovax vaccine have begun in India and the company hopes to launch it by September this year.
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In August 2020, American vaccine company Novavax Inc had announced a licence agreement with SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and India.
In January this year, the Serum Institute had rolled out Covishield vaccine in the country. It had entered into a collaboration with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine.
Over 30.54 Crore Vaccine Doses Provided To States, UTs So Far
Meanwhile, the Centre said that more than 30.54 crore vaccine doses have been provided to the states and Union Territories so far.
According to the health ministry, 1,50,28,186 Covid doses are still available with the states and Union Territories to be administered.
The Centre has so far provided 30,54,32,450 vaccines doses to the states and UTs.
Of this, the total consumption, including wastages is 29,04,04,264 doses (as per data available at 8 am on Friday).
Furthermore, over 47,00,000 vaccine doses are in the pipeline and will be received by the states and UTs within the next 3 days.
The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more jabs, advance visibility of vaccine availability to states and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the government has been supporting the states and UTs by providing them Covid vaccines free of cost.
In the new phase of the universalisation of the Covid vaccination drive, the Centre will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to states and UTs.
(With IANS Inputs)
