A day after a massive fire broke out at the Serum Institute of India's Pune facility, killing five people, CEO Adar Poonawalla said the supply of the coronavirus vaccine Covishield would not be affected.
Fire At Serum Institute: Damage Worth Rs 1,000 Crore, Says CEO Adar Poonawalla
The fire broke out on Thursday afternoon in a complex that is under construction and a few minutes' drive from the facility where the Covid vaccines are produced.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of SII said there was no damage to the Covishield vaccine production, but other facilities involved in the production of Rotavirus and BCG vaccines were damaged.
"The financial losses (due to the fire) are to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore," he said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that whether the fire at the Serum Institute of India (SII) was an accident or sabotage will be known only after the probe gets over.
Addressing a press conference after visiting the site of the fire, Thackeray said, "Let the investigation get completed. It is not correct to say anything now. After the probe gets over, we will know whether it was an accident or sabotage."
The Manjari facility is where Covishield, the SII vaccine against Covid-19 which is being used in the nationwide inoculation drive, is manufactured.
The building where the fire broke out is one km from the Covishield vaccine manufacturing unit.
With PTI inputs
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