India has been suffering from the serious and deadly second wave of coronavirus pandemic. This wave has been worse than the first one and has seriously affected the lives of so many people, killing them, making them unemployed. New strands come up and the Indian medical system failed in front of it. Mamy controversies are coming up, with many people, high profile people, and politicians getting exposed.
One person who has been in news constantly since this pandemic came is the CEO of Serum Institute of India, Adar Poonawalla. He is the only billionaire in the whole country who came forward and took up the responsibility of producing vaccines, thus becoming a lifesaver for the country and his countrymen. But Adar Poonawalla has been in controversies for a long time because of not being able to deliver the required number of vaccines, his changing the price of vaccines, and then fleeing the country with his family because of the threats and the pressure faced in the country.
Another twist in the Adar Poonawalla story, after leaving the country because of the pressure and the threats has been in constant news since his company Serum Institute if India started vaccine production. Adar Poonawalla has been in London for a month and now his father, Cyrus Poonawalla, the chairperson of the Poonawalla group has joined his son and his family in London and has said that Adar Poonawalla has not fled the country, instead said that he is on a regular “family vacation”.
Cyber Poonawalla told the media that Adar Ponnawalla is on the regular and routine summer vacation which he takes every year in May and any claims that he has “left” the country is “false and malicious”.
He said that going out of the country for a break at this time has become a routine and Cyrus himself does not remember that this time he has always been abroad. He said that Adar is on a summer vacation and this is nothing new since he takes this every year this time. He further said that when Adar was a kid, he used to take him to the UK. He said that Adar’s kids are currently studying abroad, so it is his routine visit that he makes at this time of the year. He said that this is their annual holiday time. He even added that every year he himself is in England attending the Derby which takes place in the first week of June.
With the rise in Covid cases, the Indian government and the Serum Institute of India have been a target and are being blamed for not planning properly and failing to secure the stocks for domestic use, and delayed production of vaccines, respectively.
Adar Poonawalla on May 3 said in a statement that was not possible to increase the vaccine production “overnight”.He further said that his company is trying their best, doing their “very effort” to increase the production, and would work “even harder” to achieve that.
Cyrus Poonawalla further said that the company is looking for options for further operations in Europe. He said that the production process of the Covishield vaccine is in full production in India. The institute and the Poonawallas are looking for opportunities for manufacturing in Europe. He said that it was too early to reveal any details.
Some sources have revealed that the Serum Institute has been looking at some sites in Ukraine, apart from the UK to build new facilities to increase production.
There has been a slight decrease in the number of fresh COVID cases as the daily count has decreased to below 3 lakh, with 2.81 lakh new covid cases and 4106 deaths in the past 24 hours.
There has been a regular change in the Poonawalla scenario with new statements made, new controversies coming up. Poonawalla and his institute Serum Institute of India have become a lifesaver in such times, but still, there is so much negative news of them around.
Now, we have to just wait and see what new unfolds in the Adar Poonawalla story and whether he will be able to deliver the required number of vaccines to help his countrymen and his country from this deadly virus.
