Why was Covaxin production delayed? NTAGI Chief says 'rejection of initial batches'

The National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NTAGI) has stated that the rejection of some batches of Covaxin at the Bangalore plant of Bharat biotech in the initial days led to the delay in the production of the COVID-19 vaccine. NTAGI Chief Dr. NK Arora also informed that in the coming weeks, Bharat Biotech will be able to add seven to ten crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

NTAGI chief NK Arora on delay in Covaxin production 

Moreover, Arora also remarked that India has achieved a target of 47 crore vaccine doses by July end. He reiterated that in the coming months, there will be an exponential increase in the availability of vaccines. 

"The test batches of that plant weren't satisfactory and got rejected which led to delay in ramping up production, but now the batches have been approved by the competent authority and will be available for public consumption," Arora was quoted by ANI.

"We achieved it out of 50 crore almost 47crore doses have been administered this period, In August we think availability will increase quite significantly overall and it is expected that Bharat Biotech will be able to provide 7 - 10 crore doses per month in the coming weeks," he further said.

The NTAGI chief exuded confidence that the Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech which are India's pharma giants and also leading the country's vaccination drive, will be able to complete India's adult immunisation. Arora added that both manufacturers will be able to complete the inoculation drive of adults by the December 2021 deadline. Speaking about the production of vaccines, NK Arora informed that the Serum Institute produces almost 8- 10 crore doses, while Bharat Biotech adds another 3-3.5 crore. A small contribution is also made by Sputnik, said Arora. 

(With ANI Inputs)