Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the Serum Institute in Pune, will be given “Y category” protection throughout the Country. According to reports, the Union Home Ministry released instructions about this today after undertaking a thorough threat assessment.
The presence of 11 security forces, one or two of whom are commandos, and the rest of whom are police officers, is referred to as “Y category” security.
Serum Institute has come under fire after announcing the price of its Covishield vaccine to states for people aged 18 to 45 will be 400 an injection, much more than the 150 provided by the Centre.
Opposition parties and those on social media have demanded “One vaccination, one price” in response to the pricing.
The Serum Institute revealed today that the price for the states would be reduced by 25%, to $300 instead of $400.
The subsidized rate for the Centre, according to the Serum Institute’s director, is just for a “short” time.
The average price is about $20 (Rs 1,500)… (but) we are getting at subsidized rates due to the Modi government’s order… “It’s not like we aren’t making money… but we aren’t making mega-profits, which are necessary for reinvestment,” he informed the press.
Poonawalla has promised to increase Covishield output in the coming days, despite a raging second wave of the virus in India. By July, he said, the SII will be generating up to 10 crore doses every month.
As a philanthropic gesture on behalf of Serum Institute of India, I hereby reduce the price to the states from Rs.400 to Rs.300 per dose, effective immediately; this will save thousands of crores of state funds going forward. This will enable more vaccinations and save countless lives,” Mr. Poonawalla tweeted today.
