Moneycontrol PRO
HomeNewsBusinessCompaniesExclusive| Infosys has vaccinated 11,000, to get 1.6 million more doses, says COO UB Pravin Rao

Exclusive| Infosys has vaccinated 11,000, to get 1.6 million more doses, says COO UB Pravin Rao

The second coronavirus wave has been more stressful than the first but things are getting better, says Rao as he pitches for liberalising vaccine imports to ease supply

May 20, 2021 / 13:37 IST
Infosys COO UB Pravin Rao.
     
     
    26 Aug, 2025 12:21
    Volume
    Todays L/H
    More

    Software major Infosys has vaccinated more than 11,000 people, including employees and their families, against coronavirus and will need over 1.6 million vaccine doses to cover all of its staff and their dependents, the company's COO UB Pravin Rao told Moneycontrol in an exclusive interview.

    11,000 people vaccinated

    "We have set up vaccination centres in eight campuses. We have completed 11,000 vaccinations, which includes 3,000 for employees and 8,000 for dependents. We recently started covering those aged above 18.  We have tied up with hospital chains and a commitment to procure 250,000 doses so far," Rao said.

    The company had adopted a two-pronged approach to vaccination—through vaccination centres at its campuses as well as hospitals, where its employees and their kin get preferred slots. While it has been talking to manufacturers both in India and abroad, they are not inclined to supplying directly to companies for now.

    Infy spoke to Pfizer, J&J

    COVID-19 Vaccine

    Frequently Asked Questions

    View more
    How does a vaccine work?

    A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

    How many types of vaccines are there?

    There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

    What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

    Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

    View more
    Show

    "We have spoken to Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech—they want to deal with the government for now. We also spoke to senior officials of Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson—they want the government to sort out the indemnity clause," he said.

    Infosys will need over 1.6 million doses 

    "We have over 2.43 lakh employees who will need two doses of vaccine, if you count two-three dependants per family and other staff, the total works out to over 1.6 million doses. Nasscom and CII are also in talks with the government to liberalise vaccine import and ease supply," he said.

    Also read: Global bids for over 21 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses floated by States, but do not get your hopes too high

    Impact of the second wave 

    Talking about the impact of the coornavirus wave that has sent daily infections and deaths to record high, Rao said it had been “pretty stressful” compared to the first wave.

    "The second wave has been pretty stressful. In the first wave, it was about getting people to work from home, this time has been different.  Few employees have tested positive, majority of employees have friends or families who have been impacted. It has been tough but things are getting better now."

    On May 19, Infosys' peer Wipro, too, said it would have access to one lakh doses of vaccine by June for the exclusive use of its employees and their families. Many companies have announced that they will cover the cost of vaccination for employees and their kin.

    Chandra R Srikanth is Editor- Tech, Startups, and New Economy
    first published: May 20, 2021 01:37 pm

    Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!

    Subscribe to Tech Newsletters

    • On Saturdays

      Find the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.

    • Daily-Weekdays

      Stay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.

    Advisory Alert: It has come to our attention that certain individuals are representing themselves as affiliates of Moneycontrol and soliciting funds on the false promise of assured returns on their investments. We wish to reiterate that Moneycontrol does not solicit funds from investors and neither does it promise any assured returns. In case you are approached by anyone making such claims, please write to us at grievanceofficer@nw18.com or call on 02268882347