India Inc. ties up with Serum Institute to expedite vaccination drive in tier 2/3 cities

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The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has tied up with Serum Institute of India (SII) to accelerate the Covid 19 vaccination drive. The vaccine drive will target communities in India’s small towns and rural areas to ensure wide coverage.</p>
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“India’s post-pandemic growth critically rests on how soon the eligible population is vaccinated and economic activities can return to normal. CII aims to connect the community, hospitals and corporates to fast-track vaccination, and the partnership with Serum Institute will help catalyze industry participation to reach out to communities at large,” T V Narendran, President, CII said in a statement.</p>
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Overall, the industry has been playing a key role in ensuring vaccination of workers and their families.</p>
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“While SII has manufactured the vaccine at scale within a short period of time, it is essential that all stakeholders work together towards carrying out the inoculations. Our partnership with CII will be a good way to close the gaps, as there is plenty of supply of Covishield available for distribution”, said Adar Poonawalla, CEO, SII.</p>
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Containing the spread of the Covid 19 virus is key to ensure a sustained economic recovery.</p>
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A statement by CII said that to further scale up the efforts of the ongoing vaccination drive, the industry body is now mapping the vaccination need requirement state-wise and setting up vaccination camps along with its members focusing on reaching tier 2 and 3 cities and rural areas.</p>