Adar Poonanwala Sets Aside Rs 10 Crore To Fund Quarantine Of Indian Students Abroad

Picture courtesy Reuters

New Delhi: Adar Poonawala, CEO of Serum Institute of India, has set aside Rs 10 crore to fund the mandatory quarantine of Indian students studying abroad in view of the fact that Covishield, the Indian version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is still not approved for travel without quarantine in some countries.

“Dear students travelling abroad, as a few countries are yet to approve COVISHIELD as an acceptable vaccine for travel without quarantine, you may have to incur some costs. I have set aside Rs10 crore for this, apply below for financial support if needed,” said Poonawalla in a tweet on Thursday morning.

Poonawalla has donated 1 million pounds to a crowdfunding scheme started by a news channel. Even though India has been moved to the amber list from the red list in the UK, students will still have to undergo a 10-day quarantine at a place of their choosing. Only those who have been fully vaccinated in the UK, EU, or the USA will be exempt from quarantine, meaning they would have received the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, or Johnson and Johnson vaccine, Hindustan Times reported.

Covishield has an emergency use listing from the World Health Organisation (WHO) but it is yet to get approval from the European Medicines Agency. The vaccine is accepted by over 30 countries.