The Serum Institute of India (SII) on Tuesday said it had never exported vaccines at the cost of the people of India and that it was committed to doing everything possible to support the vaccination drive in the country. This is the time for all of us to unite and work together to defeat the pandemic,” read the SII statement. In January, the SII had a large stockpile of doses and the vaccination drive had started successfully, while the number of daily cases was at an all-time low. “At that stage, most people including health experts believed that India was turning the tide on the pandemic,” it said. “A vaccination drive for such a large population cannot be completed within two-three months, as there are several factors and challenges involved.

Source: The Hindu May 18, 2021 14:27 UTC