Adar Poonawalla

Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India (SII), said on Thursday that Oxfords COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be available for healthcare workers and elderly people by around February 2021 and to the general public by April 2021. The vaccine will be priced at a maximum of Rs 1,000 for two necessary doses for the public, depending on the final trial results and regulatory approvals. Poonawalla, while speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS), 2020, also said that every Indian will probably get vaccinated by 2024. 

Poonawalla said: It will probably take two or three years for every Indian to get inoculated, not just because of the supply constraints but because you need the budget, the vaccine, logistics, infrastructure and then, people should be willing to take the vaccine. While the general public will be able to get the vaccine for $5 – $6 with an MRP of Rs 1,000, the government will get it for $3 – $4. 

Poonawalla added: The government of India will be getting it at a far cheaper price at around USD 3-4, because it will be buying in a large volume and get access to the price that is similar to what COVAX has got. We are still pricing it far cheaper and more affordable than other vaccines we have in the market today. 

When asked about the efficacy of the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Poonawalla said: It has induced a good T-cell response, which is an indicator for your long-term immunity and antibody response but then again, time will only tell if these vaccines are going to protect you in the long term. Nobody can answer that for any of the vaccines today.