Serum Institute of India has cut the price of its Covishield COVID-19 vaccine as the country plans to offer booster doses to all adults from Sunday.
The price will drop to 225 rupees ($2.96) a dose from 600 rupees for private hospitals, the chief executive of SII said in a Tweet on Saturday
Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech on Saturday, announced that it has revised the price of its COVID vaccine Covaxin from Rs 1,200 to Rs 225 per dose for private hospitals.
All those who are more than 18 years of age and have completed nine months after the administration of the second dose, would be eligible for the precaution dose
New Delhi:
A day ahead of the ‘precaution dose’ being made available to all above the age of 18 years, the Centre on Saturday said that the private COVID-19 vaccination centres can charge only up to a maximum of Rs 150 as service charge for vaccination over and above the cost of the vaccine.
The Centre also said that the precaution dose will be of the same COVID-19 vaccine as the one used for the administration of the first and second doses.
The precaution dose will be available to the 18 plus population group from April 10 at all private COVID-19 vaccination centres.
All those who are more than 18 years of age and have completed nine months after the administration of the second dose, would be eligible for the precaution dose.
Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India has cut the price of its Covishield COVID-19 vaccine as the country plans to offer booster doses to all adults from Sunday.
The price will drop to 225 rupees ($2.96) a dose from 600 rupees for private hospitals, the chief executive of SII said in a Tweet on Saturday.
“After discussion with the central government, SII has decided to revise the price of Covishield vaccine for private hospitals,” Adar Poonawalla said in a Tweet.
SII, the world’s biggest vaccine maker, produces AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine under the brand name Covishield. Of the 1.85 billion vaccine doses India has supplied to its population of 1.35 billion, 82% have been Covishield.
Also, welcoming the decision to make precautionary dose available for all adults, Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech on Saturday, announced that it has revised the price of its COVID vaccine Covaxin from Rs 1,200 to Rs 225 per dose for private hospitals.
“Announcing Covaxin Pricing. We welcome the decision to make available precautionary dose for all adults. In consultation with the Central Government, we have decided to revise the price of COVAXIN from Rs 1200 to Rs 225 per dose, for private hospitals,” tweeted Suchitra Ella, Co-founder and JMD Bharat Biotech.
Those over 18 who received a second dose nine months ago will be eligible for the additional “precaution” dose, the health ministry said on Friday, using the government’s term for boosters. The booster programme, which started in January, is limited to frontline workers and the elderly and has so far administered 24 million doses.
When the programme is extended on Sunday, those outside the two priority categories will have to pay for the shots at privately run facilities, with no mixing and matching of vaccines allowed.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Saturday held a meeting of all Health Secretaries of States and Union Territories regarding precaution dose for the 18-59 age group.
“No fresh registrations would be required for precaution dose as all due beneficiaries are already registered on CoWIN,” he said in an official statement.
Bhushan also emphasized mandatorily recording all vaccinations on the CoWIN platform and both the options of “online appointment” and “walk-in” registration and vaccination will be available at the private COVID vaccination centres (CVCs).
The private CVCs have to maintain the vaccination sites as per the operational guidelines issued by the Ministry earlier.
Healthcare workers, frontline workers and those aged 60 years or more will continue to receive precaution dose vaccination at any CVC, including free of charge vaccination at Government vaccination centres.
The states were also advised to accelerate the ongoing free vaccination program through Government vaccination centres for the first dose and second dose to eligible population and precaution dose to healthcare workers, frontline workers and 60 plus population.
India started administering precaution doses to frontline workers, healthcare workers, and those above the age of 60 years with comorbidities on January 10 this year. Later, on March 16, the vaccination drive for precaution dose was extended to all adults above the age of 60 years.
According to the Union Health Ministry, India’s Cumulative Covid 19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 185.70 crore. Over 2.21 crore vaccine doses have been administered for the age group 12-14 years.
Meanwhile, India’s active caseload currently stands at 11,132 as it reported 1,054 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours.
(ANI)