Vaccine Export Ban "Very Bad" Move: Serum Institute's Cyrus Poonawalla

Cyrus Poonawalla said that his son Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive of the SII which makes the Covishield vaccine, had asked him not to speak about the issue.

Cyrus Poonawalla, chairman of the Serum Institute of India (SII), on Friday termed the ban on COVID-19 vaccine exports imposed by the Union government a "very bad move", saying it put his company, the world's largest vaccine-maker, in a difficult situation. He also said that his son Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive of the SII which makes the Covishield vaccine, had asked him not to speak about the issue. "It is a very bad move by the Modi government. My son asked me not to open my mouth. But it is my view that exports ought to be opened," Mr Poonawalla said. He was speaking to reporters after receiving the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award.