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Amid growing concerns about the COVID-19 mutant virus, a fire broke out at a factory in India that is outsourcing the vaccine. The world’s largest vaccine maker, India’s Serum Research Institute, built an additional building to increase vaccine production, and a fire broke out. At least five people died. An official at the plant said, “There is no problem because we have other facilities that can be operated,” but there is a prospect that there may be a disruption in increasing vaccine production.
Reporter Lee Jae-seung reports.
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Black smoke continues to emit from the window.
It is a new factory being built at the Serum Research Institute in India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.
Fire engines and national disaster response forces were urgently dispatched to the scene, and the flames were caught in three hours.
Five bodies were found in the rubble, and six people were reportedly injured.
The victims are believed to be construction workers.
Here, AstraZeneca and Oxford University jointly develop a COVID-19 vaccine.
Fortunately, there was no flame in the current facility.
CEO Adar Funawala said through social media that vaccine production will not be lost, and has other facilities to operate.
However, a setback in increasing vaccine production seems inevitable.
The Indian Serum Research Institute has signed a contract with AstraZeneca to produce 1 billion doses of vaccine within this year.
The company, which has already produced 50 million inoculums, planned to increase its production to 100 million doses by March.
Even before the outbreak of Corona 19 broke out here, various vaccines with 1.5 billion inoculations were produced each year.
India is the world’s largest exporter of generic drugs and accounts for about 60% of the world’s vaccine production.
(Screen source: VOA)