World’s largest vaccine company fires at India plant… “Vaccine production seems to be harmless”

[이미지출처=AP연합뉴스]

[아시아경제 정현진 기자] Indian media such as PTI reported that a fire broke out on the 21st (local time) at the factory of Serum Institute (SII) in India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.

Reportedly, the fire that day occurred in a new facility in the SII plant complex in western Pune. In the photos reported by the local media, a cloud of black smoke soared over the fired building. Rescue authorities urgently dispatched an ambulance to the scene to put all their efforts into the evolution.

There is still no detailed information such as the scale or cause of the damage caused by the fire, the rescue authorities said. The fire department said, “First of all, suppressing fire and reducing human damage is the first thing to do.”

SII is producing Coby Shield, a corona 19 vaccine from AstraZeneca-Oxford University in India. SII has produced 50 million doses of vaccine so far, and plans to increase its production to 100 million doses per month by March. The quantity produced by SII is being supplied to neighboring countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal, as well as India, which started vaccination on the 16th.

However, it is said that it was not hit by the fire. An official from the fire department said, “The building with the fire is not connected to the place that manufactures the Corona 19 vaccine,” the foreign press said.

Reporter Jeong Hyun-jin [email protected]