What’s India’s vax output? Even govt might not be sure

What’s India’s vax output? Even govt might not be sure

Jr Health Mantri Gives 3 Sets Of Numbers For Covaxin, 2 For Covishield

Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com

24.07.2021 

India’s vaccine production numbers seems to be a mystery for the government, with the junior health minister giving the Rajya Sabha three different sets of numbers for the monthly output of Covaxin and two for Covishield on the same day in response to questions. Two of these questions were even asked by the same member. And the numbers don’t match what the government had earlier told the Supreme Court in affidavits.

On July 20, in response to a question from Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge, Bharati Pravin Pawar, junior health minister said the average monthly production capacity of Covishield by Serum Institute of India is 11 crore doses and of Covaxin by Bharat Biotech 2.5 crore doses.

She went on to add that “as communicated by manufacturers, the monthly vaccine production capacity of Covishield is planned to be increased from 11 crore doses per month to more than 12 crore doses per month and production capacity of Covaxin is planned to be increased from 2.5 crore doses per month to 5.8 crore doses per month.”

In response to a question from BJP MP TG Venkatesh from Andhra Pradesh on the same day, Dr Pawar said “the estimated production quantity is around 130 million (13 crore) doses/month” for Covishield and for Covaxin “the estimated production quantity is around 17.5 million

(1.75 crore) doses/month.”

To yet another question from Kharge on the same day, about the MoU signed between ICMR and Bharat Biotech, Dr Pawar said the biotechnology department’s efforts to upscale the production of Covaxin were “expected to enhance the production of Covaxin from the present one crore doses to ten crore in the coming months”.

Incidentally, the government affidavit filed in the Supreme Court on May 9 had stated: “Serum Institute of India Ltd. has ramped up production from 5 crore doses/ month to 6.5 crore doses per month and further ramp-up is expected by July 2021. Bharat Biotech Intl Ltd. has increased production from 90 lakh/ month to 2 crore doses/ month and further increase is expected upto 5.5 crore doses/month by July 2021.”

While Serum Institute seems to have ramped up production to 11 crore (or more) as was estimated in May, Bharat Biotech’s actual production capacity appears to be a mystery even to the government. In the May affidavit, the government had stated that it had a production capacity of roughly 2 crore doses per month of Covaxin. But now it puts it at anything between 1 crore to 2.5 crore doses per month.

In an earlier affidavit filed on April 29, the government had stated that Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin production would go up from 90 lakh/month to 1 crore and further up to 5 crore doses/ month by July 2021.

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