Pune businesses demand their pound of vaccine made in city

Corporate houses, start-ups, businesses in Pune have joined hands with NGOs and hospitals in the city requesting the Centre to earmark a quota of Covishield vaccine produced in city-based Serum Institute of India.

Pune Platform for Covid Response (PPCR) initiative that has brought various stakeholders together has written to Health Minister Harsh Vardhan demanding a quota of vaccine for the citizens.

“Pune being home to Oxford’s Covishield, that is being manufactured by Serum Institute in the city, it will be logistically viable and feasible to implement the inoculation of all in the city and making it completely Covid-free. The Serum Institte has a huge stockpile of vaccine doses and a substantial portion of these doses will expire if not used sooner” said Sudhir Mehta, Lead and Coordinator of PPCR and President of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) in the letter.

“Also, currently there is a lot of noise being created around the vaccine’s authenticity and efficacy, by making Pune the first Covid-free city in the country, we will be able to build confidence amongst citizens at large” the PPPCR letter added.

Speaking BusinessLine Mehta said within 30-40 days PPCR will be able to vaccinate all the citizens aged 60 and above and those in the 45-59 age bracket with co-morbidities.

“We have made a similar request to the State government and NITI Aayog. Pune was one of the epicentres of the pandemic and the situation seems to worsen yet again” said Mehta adding that the government must accept the request and provide vaccines to Pune citizens.