Covid-19: CII joins hands with SII to take vaccines to small towns, rural areas

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has entered into an agreement with vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII) to take Covid-19 vaccines to small towns and rural areas.

SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said the company is manufacturing vaccines at scale and the supply of Covishield would be available for distribution. It was essential for all stakeholders to work together to carry out the inoculations and take the vaccines to the hinterland, Poonawalla said. The partnership with CII is expected to close gaps and widen vaccination coverage.

CII president TV Narendran said the country’s post-pandemic growth depends on the pace at which the eligible population is vaccinated. Given the scale and urgency of the vaccination programme, CII will look to complement and supplement the efforts of the government, he said.

The CII partnership with SII will catalyse industry participation to reach out to communities at large. CII will connect the community, hospitals and corporates to fast-track vaccination Narendran said.

The confederation had also collated vaccine requirements of its members and administered vaccines across the country. It had identified a requirement of seven million single dose vaccines. As of July 23, it had administered 3.4 million single doses through 430 camps. CII is now mapping the vaccination needs of states and is setting up camps along with its members across Tier 2/3 cities and rural areas.