Covishield Production Stopped In Dec 21: Poonawalla

The fatigue that came from the pandemic and overall energy left among people decreased the demand for booster vaccines, said Adar Poonawalla. Covovax should be allowed thins the Indian regulator may incorporate the policy to mix boosters subject to WHO’s permission. Using a master seed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca, Covishield vaccines was created at the SII’s Pune laboratory in 2020

The chief executive officer of Serum Institute of India (SII), Adar Poonawalla said that the company has stopped the manufacturing of Covishield vaccines which started in December 2021, reported a media house on 20 October.

The total stock of around 100 million doses available at that time had already expired, he added.

Poonawalla said that the fatigue that came from the pandemic and overall energy left among people decreased the demand for booster vaccines. He talked about this on the side lines of the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN) annual general meeting,

Speaking on Covishield and Covovax vaccines, Poonawala said that in two weeks, Covovax should be allowed thins the Indian regulator may incorporate the policy to mix boosters subject to WHO’s permission. Still, with lethargy in people due to COVID including himself, he said boosters have no demand at the moment.

The Serum Institue’s vaccines are permitted be mixed which people would be take a few shots every year and along with anti-coronavirus vaccines and they may take other shots together, said Poonawalla.

India has no culture of taking flu shots like one in the West. Back in 2010 we had launched a few vaccines. Even during the H1NI pandemic in 2011, no one took it. People do not find Flu scary and so they just do not want to take it, he added.

Using a master seed from Oxford University and AstraZeneca, Covishield vaccines was created at the SII’s Pune laboratory. Even in April 2020 when Covid had started, the SII had announced its collaboration with Oxford University for producing the vaccine.