COVID-19 Vaccine: Adar Poonawalla Says Modi Government Will Take Care of All Needs of Every Indian Day After His Question on Financial Resources

New Delhi, September 27: Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of the Serum Institute of India (SII), hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for assuring the world that India's vaccine manufacturing capability will "help all humanity" in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. In a tweet, Adar Poonawalla thanked PM Narendra Modi for his leadership and support, adding that the government's arrangements will take care of the needs of every Indian. How Will India Distribute COVID-19 Vaccine Once Developed? Will It End Coronavirus?

"We share and applaud your vision @narendramodi ji, on providing vaccines to the global community. It is a proud moment for India, thank you for your leadership and support. It is clear that all your arrangements for India will take care of all needs for the Indian people," Poonawalla tweeted. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly's 75th session, PM Modi assured the international community of every assistance from India during COVID-19 pandemic.

Adar Poonawalla Praises PM Narendra Modi's UN Speech:

We share and applaud your vision @narendramodi ji, on providing vaccines to the global community. It is a proud moment for India, thank you for your leadership and support. It is clear that all your arrangements for India will take care of all needs for the Indian people. https://t.co/b57TH8fDSB

— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) September 27, 2020

"As the largest vaccine producing country of the world ... India's vaccine production and delivery capacity will be used to help all humanity in fighting this crisis," Modi said in his pre-recorded speech to the high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly. "India will also help all the countries in enhancing their cold chain and storage capacities for the delivery of the vaccines," he added offering help with a crucial aspect of its delivery around the developing countries.

Prior to the telecast of PM Modi's speech, Poonawalla sought to know whether the Indian government will have sufficient financial resources to buy and distribute COVID-19 drugs as part of the mass vaccination plan. "Quick question: will the Government of India have 80,000 crores available over the next one year? Because that is what the Ministry of Health needs to buy and distribute the vaccine to everyone in India. This is the next concerning challenge we need to tackle," he said.

Poonawalla's SII is the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines and is conducting trials of COVID-19 vaccine candidates like the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine. "I ask this question, because we need to plan and guide, vaccine manufacturers both in India and overseas to service the needs of our country in terms of procurement and distribution," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 27, 2020 12:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).