Unmasking "Covishield"
Covishield had been developed by the University of Oxford in collaboration British pharmaceutical major AstraZeneca. Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer in terms of numbers, partnered with the Oxford University to manufacture their Covid-19 vaccine in India. The SII produced 5,000 doses of the vaccine per minute in their assembly lines during peak vaccination period. Key events in the journey of Covishield: April 2020: SII announced its partnership with Oxford University to manufacture their Covid-19 vaccine. "We have partnered with the Oxford University vaccine project as one of the seven global institutions manufacturing the vaccine," Adar Poonawalla had said in a statement. May 2020: A 1ml vial with the cellular material for the much-anticipated vaccine arrives at SII from Oxford, England. August 2020: Phase-III clinical trials of Covishield began in India. September 2020: AstraZeneca observed a severe adverse reaction in on