Apollo Hospitals looks to vaccinate 1 million per day

Hyderabad: Leading healthcare provider Apollo Hospitals Group on Thursday said it is prepared to administer 1 million (10 lakh ) Covid-19 vaccines daily to augment and support the government efforts to fight the pandemic.

The group will work with the government in tandem to make sure that the largest number of people get the vaccine safe and fast, Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group, told the media.

"Apollo Hospitals have been strengthening its vaccine cold chain for supply and gearing up all Apollo facilities for efficient and fast administration with the highest safety standards, for 1 million doses per day," she added.

The group has the capability and has trained 10,000 professionals which will be stationed in all the group's pharmacies, clinics, in hospitals across the country, Kamineni said. "Almost 30 per cent of India is 30 minutes away from an Apollo facility. Every facility will have the capability and the professionals to administer a vaccine based on the government's directive," she added.

The group has also built up the largest cold chain network and distribution system to be able to safely transport and store this vaccine in the temperatures that are required, Kamineni said. The group's cold chain can deliver this vaccine in every part of the country within either 30 minutes or maximum two days, she added.

"As the entire country awaits a vaccine for the deadly infectious disease, one of the major challenges will be around safe and orderly delivery of doses, for the population of 1.3 billion Indians, especially the vulnerable," Kamineni said.

India is expected to have a Covid-19 vaccine from more than one source by early next year and the government is formulating distribution strategies for the immunisation of people across the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said.