PM Narendra Modi To Visit Serum Institute Of India, Bharat Biotech On Saturday Amid Vaccine Race

Ambassadors and envoys from 100 countries would visit the Serum Institute on December 4 (File)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit India's top vaccine hubs in Pune and Hyderabad this weekend with coronavirus cases surging in parts of the country and amid redoubled efforts to zero in on an effective vaccine.

On Saturday, the PM will visit the Pune-based Serum Institute of India, which has partnered with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and the Oxford University for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The same day, PM Modi is expected to travel to Hyderabad and visit Bharat BioTech, which is working on Covaxin, pitched as India's first indigenous vaccine candidate.

An official in Pune confirmed the Prime Minister's visit, and said he would review the status of the vaccine, including its launch, production and distribution mechanisms.

"We have received a confirmation about PM Modi's visit to the Serum Institute of India on Saturday, but his minute-to -minute program is yet to be received," Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao told news agency Press Trust of India.