It’s a luxury problem: Adar Poonawalla (40) is sitting on millions and millions of vaccine doses. He is head of the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. According to its own information, the company produces up to 60 million doses of Astrazeneca’s vaccine – every month. 100 million would also be possible. Enough to supply several countries with it.
Actually good news. But the majority of the vaccinations remain in India. Transport abroad is hardly possible. “I have 70 million vaccine doses in my warehouse and can only deliver them in India and a few other countries because they are only licensed there,” the Indian multi-billionaire told CNN.
So far, the vaccine only goes to Brazil, South Africa and Saudi Arabia. But that should change. 
The 40-year-old wants to finally deliver to Europe.
He had a Batmobile built for his son
At the age of 20, Poonawalla joined his father’s company. Today the family fortune is 11 billion. And he likes to show that too. Adar Poonawalla does not live modestly. To prove to his son that he was Batman, the superhero from the DC universe, he called Hollywood in 2016 to commission two original Batman costumes. One for his son, the other for himself.
The n he had a Mercedes S-Class completely rebuilt. It should look like the Batmobile.
After the items were delivered, Poonawalla and his son donned their Batman costumes, got into the Batmobile, and sped through the Indian city of Pune. When the police became aware of the strange team, the billionaire sent the officers away without much ado. After all, he knows the police chief. “Not even the real Batman can do that,” he says to the “Spiegel”.
Billionaire asks countries to be patient
The vaccination mogul also loves the luxury life in other ways. Racehorses, private jets, the full program. Now the 40-year-old is busy getting the necessary approvals so that the millions of vaccine doses from his company can be used worldwide. However, the Indian government still has a say in this.
The refore, Poonawalla urges patience. “Dear countries and governments, while you wait for Covishield deliveries, I humbly ask you to be patient,” he wrote on Twitter. His company had been instructed to “bring India’s immense needs ahead of them and compare them with those of the rest of the world. We give our best.”
Few Indians vaccinated so far
Among other things, the Serum Institute wants to deliver 200 million vaccine doses to the international Covax initiative for a fair worldwide distribution of corona vaccines. Poonawalla did not comment on who had issued the preferential order for India or whether the order was new.
The Indian vaccination program has so far been far behind schedule. Although 300 million people are to be vaccinated by July, only around eleven million syringes have been given so far.
The problem is apparently less due to a lack of vaccine than to a low willingness to vaccinate in the population. (jmh / AFP)
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Multibillionaire Adar Poonawalla sitting millions vaccinations
