Saudi Arabia to receive 3 million doses of vaccine from Serum Institute in a week
Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla told Reuters that the doses destined for Saudi Arabia would be shipped in a week or 10 days
Reuters | January 26, 2021 | Updated 12:13 IST
AstraZeneca has said it will not profit from the vaccine during the pandemic
The Serum Institute of India (SII) will supply Saudi Arabia with 3 million AstraZeneca NSE -3.57 % COVID-19 vaccine doses priced at $5.25 each in about a week on behalf of the British drugmaker, its chief executive told Reuters on Monday
SII has no immediate plans, however, to divert supplies to Europe, even though AstraZeneca has come under pressure from the EU to deliver more shots after announcing a big cut in shipments due to production problems at a Belgian factory.
Shivamogga blast
A blast rocked a stone quarry in Shivamogga district, Karnataka, most likely caused by dynamite used for mining stone. There is still the chance of another explosion as some of the dynamite sticks did not ignite and are still active. Meanwhile, bomb disposal squads have been sent to the quarry and it is strictly off-limits to civilians.
The police reported that around eight people died in the explosion with buildings damaged, both inside and outside the quarry and equipment destroyed. Karnataka HM has confirmed 2 deaths till now and 2 people have been detained.
The explosion took place at approximately 10:20 p.m. and shook the ground nearby. The tremors were taken for an earthquake and people dashed out of their homes onto the roads. Several glass windows were also shattered due to the shockwaves caused by the explosion. The neighbouring Chikkamagaluru district was also affected by the tremors and shockwaves.
Lucky escape for some at Serum Institute
India
Published: Friday, January 22, 2021, 9:13 [IST]
Pune, Jan 22: Some contractual workers had a lucky escape as they ran to safety in time when a fire broke out in an under-construction building at the Serum Institute of India (SII) premises here on Thursday afternoon.
Massive Fire at Serum Institute | Covishield maker suffers blaze | Oneindia News
Avinash Kumar, one of the contractual labourers working in the five-storey building at the time of the incident, said moment the fire broke out he along with some others quickly ran away and saved their lives. Moment we saw smoke emanating from somewhere in the building, we escaped from the floor where we were working, said Kumar.