Chennai: Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has said India’s willingness to play a big role in manufacturing Covid-19 vaccine and allow it to supply to other developing countries will be a critical part in containing the pandemic globally.
Gates, whose foundation is focusing on fighting the pandemic, called it the next biggest thing the world has been confronted with after the World War.
“Obviously, all of us want to get a vaccine out in India as fast as we can, once we know that it’s very effective and very safe, and so the plans are coming into focus that sometime next year, it’s very likely that roll-out will take place and take place in fairly big volume,” he said.
Gates said the world is looking to India for large scale production of Covid-19 vaccine once it is rolled out.
He added: “The world is also looking to India for some of that capacity to be available to other developing countries. Exactly what that allocation formula looks like will have to be figured out.”