Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister, inaugurated the first commercial batch of Covaxin on Sunday from Bharat Biotech’s new factory in Ankleshwar, Gujarat.
Mansukh Mandaviya said, “India is focused on slowing the spread of Covid-19 in the country, and the key to achieving this lies in the swift and efficient administration of vaccines. We want to ensure equitable access of the vaccine to every Indian citizen, and the expansion of Covaxin production facilities by Bharat Biotech will take us closer to this goal.”
The health minister took to Twitter to talk about the importance of vaccination drive in fighting the pandemic and said the launch “will increase the supply of vaccine in the country and will help in reaching the vaccine to every Indian.”
Mansukh Mandaviya stated during the unveiling that Covaxin manufacturing has begun at the Ankleshwar facility, adding that Bharat Biotech’s new factory would receive one crore vaccinations each month.
Bharat Biotech announced plans in May to increase vaccine manufacturing to 1 billion doses per year. With this objective in mind, the firm stated that Covaxin will henceforth be manufactured at a facility in Ankleshwar, Gujarat.
Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, said, “We want to ensure that Bharat Biotech can ably meet the demand for Covaxin such that individuals across the country, and the globe, have access to the vaccine and can secure their health and safety. Our goal to develop a vaccine with global safety and efficacy standards has now been achieved, we are now marching towards the goal of annualized capacity of ~ 1.0 billion doses.”
The jabs manufactured at Ankleshwar facility will be available for supply starting September 2021.
Mrs. Suchitra Ella, Joint Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, added, “I am happy to share that our efforts over the last one year have fructified, and we are now several steps closer to achieving our goal of providing Covaxin to all pockets of the country and overseas. The pandemic has impacted people across the globe, and it is only through collaborative efforts that we can hope to mitigate its spread and impact.”
Talking about India’s preparedness to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, Mansukh Mandaviya said, “On block level ambulances to be already rented, on district level 1 crore medicines to be procured,” adding that, “For the beds in hospitals as well money is provided.”
The health minister also said that about 10,000 kgs of oxygen could be collected and tanks are to be procured to help the nation fight the pandemic.
