After a series of negotiations that ensued between the Central Government and the Serum Institute of India (SII), it was decided that the Covishield vaccine was to be priced significantly lower than its initial price.
Addressing a press conference, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said: “We have renegotiated the price for the vaccine. The earlier price was ₹210, including taxes. After that, we have renegotiated the price, which is significantly lower than ₹200.”
He went on to clarify that the public should not give in to false rumours, and that the vaccine has been amply stocked up in all the states of the country. “According to data available as part of the daily review meeting held this morning, and even three days ago, there was no shortage of COVID-19 vaccine in any state in the country,” he added. He further said that the current focus is on the individuals above the age of 60 as well as those aged 45-60 with comorbidities.
The Covishield vaccine is produced by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India. This, along with Bharat BioTech’s Covaxin, has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for public use. The former was developed by the University of Oxford and drug manufacturer AstraZeneca, and is being manufactured in India by the SII.
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