Poonawalla says will return in a few days

New Delhi, May 2: Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla, who has been in the UK on extended stay to evade alleged threats in India over ever-increasing demand for Covid-19 vaccines, has said he will return in a few days.

In an interview to The Times, Poonawalla had alleged that he had been receiving threats in India and that he and his family had left the country for London after unprecedented "pressure and aggression" over the demand of vaccines.

In a late night tweet on Saturday, he said the production of Covishield the Oxford/ Astra-Zeneca's Covid-19 vaccine that is being produced by Serum Institute in India —was in full swing at SII's facility in Pune. "Pleased to state that COVISHIELD's production is in full swing in Pune. I look forward to reviewing operations upon my return in a few days," Poonawalla said.

He, however, did not give a timeline for his return to India. On his stay in the UK, Poonawalla said he "had an excellent meeting" with all partners and stakeholders in that country.

Indian authorities are scrambling for vaccines, medicines and oxygen as the nation faces its worst health crisis. The number of daily coronavirus cases in India slipped slightly, a day after becoming the first in the world to cross the four-lakh mark.

India's new coronavirus cases rose by 3,92,488, while deaths from the infection jumped by 3,689 over the past 24 hours, according to health ministry data released on Sunday. Total case load now stands at 1.95 crore with 2,15,542 deaths.

"I'm staying here for an extended period because I don't want to go back to that situation," The Times cited Poonawalla as saying in an interview published on Saturday.

"I don't want to be in a situation where you are trying to do your job and just because you can't supply the needs of X, Y or Z, you really don't want to guess what they are going to do," he had said, adding, "Everything falls on my shoulders, but I can't do it alone."

In the interview, when asked about the impact of the 'Kumbh Mela' and the Assembly elections on the second wave in India, Poonawalla had said his "head would be chopped off" if he answered on such a "sensitive" matter.