Pune: Serum Institute of India’s Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla has said their Covovax vaccine will get approval as a booster against COVID-19 in the next 10 to 15 days. The vaccine works very well against the Omicron variant of coronavirus, Mr Poonawalla told reporters on the sidelines of an event at the Bharti Vidyapeeth University here on Sunday (January 8). Asked about states and districts not getting Covishield vaccine, he said there is ample stock with the Union government for supply.
Also Read: Second Covid Booster Dose Not Required: Government Sources
He said,
Covovax will be approved as a booster in the next 10-15 days. It is actually the best booster because it works very well against Omicron, more than Covishield.
Mr Poonawalla said everyone was looking at India, not just in terms of healthcare but because the country managed to take care of a huge and diverse population and also helped 70 to 80 nations during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said,
This was all possible because of the leadership of our central government, our state governments, healthcare workers, manufacturers, all of whom worked together with one common goal.
On the occasion, Mr Poonawalla was conferred with the first Dr Pantangrao Kadam Memorial Award at the hands of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
.@adarpoonawalla ji,
We always wanted to say Thank You. Entire nation wanted to say Thank You. So, it is on behalf of entire nation we say ‘Thank You for saving us’! pic.twitter.com/eDMw7yCkW5— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) January 8, 2023
The event was held to mark the birth anniversary of Kadam, the late minister and education baron from western Maharashtra.
Appealing to students who wished to pursue education abroad, Mr Poonawalla said there was no place like India to fulfil dreams due to the presence of institutions like Bharti Vidyapeeth and others. He said,
Even if you have to go abroad, come back as soon as possible.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diarrhoea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
