NEW DELHI: Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Serum Institute of India, said that the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine should become available by February next year to health workers and by April to the general public. He also added that the vaccine will be priced at a maximum of Rs 1,000 for two necessary doses for the public. Poonawalla said that probably by 2024, every Indian will be vaccinated.
Poonawalla said that it will take almost two to three years before everyone gets inoculated, not because of the supply constraints but there are a lot of other factors in play such as budget, logistics, infrastructure and then people should also be willing to take the vaccine. He also added that Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is working well with elders as well, which was a concern earlier.
Poonawalla also said that children might have to wait a little longer for the vaccine till the safety data is out but the good news is that COVID-19 is not that lethal for them. Vaccination of elderly people is must as they are more vulnerable to the novel coronavirus and then as the safety data is out, children will also be included, he added.