Adar Poonawalla, the chief of Serum Institute of India that manufactures Covishield, today said his firm has "never exported vaccines at the cost of the people of India". India's vaccination drive, he said, cannot be completed in two or three months given the huge population. In a statement, Mr Poonawalla also explained the circumstances in which consignments of vaccines were sent abroad and the commitments made by the government in the initial stages of the pandemic last year.