From Ahmedabad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flew to Hyderabad where he will visit Bharat BioTech, which is working on Covaxin, pitched as India’s first indigenous vaccine candidate. The facility is around 50 km from Hyderabad.

After his hour-long visit to the facility, PM will proceed to Pune where Serum Institute of India (SII) is based. He is expected to review the status of the vaccine, including its launch, production and distribution mechanisms during the visit.

Later, he will travel to Hyderabad and visit Bharat BioTech, which is working on Covaxin, pitched as India’s first indigenous vaccine candidate.

At the Zydus Cadila Biotech plant, the PM was welcomed by the pharmaceutical company’s chairman Pankaj Patel and his son and the company’s MD Sharvil Patel.

Modi also had a chat with Sharvil Patel’s children.

Before a detailed meeting with the company’s chairman, MD and scientists, Modi watched the presentation about the coronavirus vaccine development.

Vaccine trials and distribution were discussed during the almost half an hour meeting at the Biotech plant.

The Zydus company is into its second phase of clinical trials of the vaccine called the ZyCov-D. Shortly, the third phase clinical trials are expected by the company in December.

PM Modi is on visit to India’s top vaccine hubs today to review the development of coronavirus vaccine and the manufacturing process.

As per the Prime Minister Office, PM will visit the Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad and Serum Institute of India in Pune.

As India enters a decisive phase of the fight against COVID-19, The Prime Minister’s visit to these facilities and discussions with the scientists will help him get a first-hand perspective of the preparations, challenges and roadmap in India’s endeavour to vaccinate its citizens.

Prime Minister had chaired a high-level meeting with Chief Ministers of States and UTs on Tuesday via video conferencing to review the status and preparedness of COVID-19 response and management with special emphasis on eight high focus states.

The Prime Minister remarked that the country has faced the pandemic through concerted efforts and in terms of both recovery rate and fatality rate, the situation in India is better than most other countries.

He said that efforts are on to make medical colleges and district hospitals self-sufficient in terms of oxygen generation and informed that the process for establishing more than 160 new oxygen plants is underway.