Serum Institue of India's Adar Poonawalla said he expects an Omicron-specific Covid-19 vaccine for India in 6 months Serum Institute of India's (SII) Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said on Monday that he expects an Omicron-specific vaccine against the coronavirus for India in six months Adar Poonawalla, the world's biggest vaccine maker, produces AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine under the brand name Covishield. "Think this vaccine is important as a booster," Adar Poonawalla was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has given the first green light to a variant-adapted shot that targets both the original and Omicron version of the coronavirus.
The UK was also the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine in late 2020. The UK medicines regulator (MHRA) gave the vaccine made by US drug company Moderna conditional approval as a booster for adults on Monday.
The decision was taken by Britain's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). It is now expected to issue a recommendation on how the vaccine should be deployed in the country.