The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has entered into an agreement with the Serum Institute of India (SII) to accelerate vaccination in partnership with industry, including healthcare providers. The vaccine drive will target communities in India’s small towns and rural areas to ensure wide coverage, according to a statement.

Speaking in this regard, TV Narendran, President, CII, said, “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 catalyse industry participation to reach out to communities at large. Overall, the industry has been playing a responsible part in ensuring vaccination of workers and their families, but clearly given the scale and urgency of the vaccination programme, we can complement and supplement the efforts of the government in this pivotal mission for the nation.”

Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India also mentioned that Serum Institute is pleased to partner with CII to work with industry members in taking the vaccine to communities in the hinterland.

“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,” he said.

Adding to it, Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman, CII National Healthcare Council and Chairman and Managing Director, Medanta – The Medicity, said, “CII has undertaken a mission under its programme Project Vaccine Nation through which we have collated the vaccine requirements of CII members. In collaboration with the Serum Institute and the industry, CII would take the learnings to the next level and help in inoculation of the people at the grassroots.”

As part of the pan-India vaccine-demand aggregation exercise, CII undertook a survey with response from over 3,000 companies in 196 cities. This identified a requirement of over seven million single-dose vaccines, siad the statement.