India: fire at Serum Institute of India, world's largest vaccine manufacturer

A fire broke out at the Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, on Thursday, according to images on local television, but media clarified that production of Covid-19 vaccines was not affected .

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Follow the evolution of the situation Thursday January 21

Indian television channels showed a huge cloud of gray smoke over the site of the Serum Institute of India in Pune, in the west of the country, where millions of doses of the vaccine against the Covishield coronavirus, developed by AstraZeneca, are currently produced. and the University of Oxford.

However, according to the channels, the fire broke out at a site under construction away from the vaccine production facilities. 

"It will not affect the production" of the Covid-19 vaccine

"The vaccine production facility is not affected and this is not going to affect production," a source at Serum Intitute of India told AFP, adding that "the news is on fire. factory under construction ".

"We have sent six or seven fire trucks to the scene. We have no more information to share at the moment concerning the extent of the fire or if anyone is trapped," told AFP a person in charge of the local fire station.

"Police teams have arrived on the scene," Pune police told AFP, more details.

India is the second most affected country - after the United States - by Covid-19, with more than 10 million reported cases, even though the death rate is one of the lowest in the world.

In early January, two vaccines were urgently approved: Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford and produced by the Serum Institute of India, and Covaxin, manufactured by the local company Bharat Biotech.

India launched one of the most ambitious campaigns in the world on Saturday, aiming to vaccinate 300 million people by July.