WATCH: SII chief Adar Poonawalla on vaccine availability, current Covid strain

Commenting on the recent spike in Covid cases countrywide, Serum Institute of India (SII) chief executive officer (CEO) Adar Poonawalla on Saturday said that the current variant of the virus is not severe and five to six million doses of Covovax are available. In the next two to three months, SII will also manufacture the same amount of Covishield doses, he added.

Also Read| Haryana, 7 other states told to strengthen Covid surveillance

“Currently, the Covid strain is not severe, it’s just a mild strain. Just for precautionary measures, elderly people can get the booster dose, but it would be their choice whether or not to take it. Five to six million doses of Covovax are available. We will also produce the same amount of Covishield doses in the next two to three months,” news agency PTI quoted Poonawalla as saying.

The Centre on Friday asked eight states, including Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, to maintain a strict watch and take pre-emptive action in any area of concern to control any emerging spread of infection.

In a letter to UP, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Haryana, and Delhi, Rajesh Bhushan, secretary of the union health and family welfare ministry, urged these states to remain cautious against laxity at any level that may nullify the gains made in pandemic management so far.

The country has been witnessing a consistent rise in Covid cases since March, with 10,262 cases reported in the week ending April 20. A rise in positivity rate has also been noted across the country, with 5.5% positivity reported in the week ending April 19 against 4.7% positivity reported in the previous week, said Bhushan.