Guwahati, Nov 28: The Serum Institute will apply within two weeks for the emergency use of the coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and pharma giant AstraZeneca, the vaccine maker's chief Adar Poonawalla said today after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"As of now, we don't have anything in writing with the government of India on how many doses they will purchase but the indication is that it would be 300-400 million doses by July 2021," he said. "We are in the process of applying in the next two weeks for the emergency use," he added.

PM Modi on Saturday visited India's top vaccine hubs to personally review the development of coronavirus vaccine and the manufacturing process. The visit, PM Modi's office said, was meant to help him get a "first-hand perspective of the preparations, challenges and roadmap in India's endeavour to vaccinate its citizens".

Assuring about the efficacy and safety of the vaccine, Mr Poonawalla said, "At the moment the trials were more than enough for the efficacy. We might look at doing trials on group less than 18 years of age later on."