Written by Priya Kujur, grade 11 student

Serum Institute of India, which is the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world, has announced that it will produce 100 million COVID-19 vaccines for India and middle-income countries.

The Serum Institute, Gavi Alliance, and Gates Foundation had signed an agreement in August that the vaccine dose be priced US dollar 3 each. Novavax which is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to doubling COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity to produce 200 million under an agreement with Serum Institute of India. Now, a total of 200 million doses will be delivered by the partnership.

When it will be out?

The World Health Organization (WHO) aims to deliver the vaccine doses around the world by the end of 2021. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare assured that the first COVID-19 vaccine will be available in India by early 2021. More than 150 countries have joined the plan.

What is Serum India?

Serum Institute of India (SII) is a manufacturer of immune biological drugs including vaccines in India. It was founded by Cyrus Poonawalla in 1966. The headquarter of Serum Institute of India is in Pune, Maharashtra. Serum Institute of India is now the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by the number of doses produced and sold globally (more than 1.5 billion doses) which includes Polio vaccine as well as Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, BCG, r-Hepatitis B, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccines. It is estimated that about 65% of the children in the world receive at least one vaccine manufactured by Serum Institute. Vaccines manufactured by the Serum Institute are accredited by the World Health Organization, Geneva, and are being used in around 170 countries across the globe in their national immunization programs.

What is a vaccine? Read it here

Did you know that ..

Vaccines prevent more than 2.5 million deaths each year. Also, not all vaccines are given as shots. Some vaccines are given orally (from the mouth, as drops).