As of now vaccines in India are produced by 2 companies -- Serum Institute of India (SSI) and Bharat Biotech. SII produces 500 vials of Covishield per minute. Each vial contains 10 doses, making it 5,000 doses per minute.
Thus in an 8-shift it produced 24 lakh doses a day. (SSI can work in 3 shifts but will take 2-3 months to ramp up facilities)
Bharat biotech produced only 1.66 lakh doses a day (5 million a month). Totally daily production is 25.5 lakh doses a day and we are vaccinating 40 lakh (4 million) people a day!
Production can be ramped up but will take 2-3 months. We can import, but not much, as the foreign brands are expensive and in short supply.
Moreover, all senior citizens who have received first dose 6 weeks ago will have to receive the second dose. So how will others be accommodated as at least 3 million senior citizens will be eligible for the second dose every passing day when the supply is less than 3 million doses a day?
The authorities seemed to have failed to do their homework. The second dose was overlooked! Oversight?
