They said the government was in “touch with a number of local and international vaccine makers, informing them about our requirements and finding out about their production capacities”.
Two Indian vaccine makers – Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, and Bharat Biotech – alone have the capacity of making 65 million doses a month, they added.
India also has a “good stockpile” of vaccines, which can be quickly “converted into vials” if the candidates get regulatory approvals, the officials added.
