Govt to acquire 66 crore extra doses of Covishield, Covaxin at revised charges

The Centre has positioned an order to acquire 66 crore extra doses of Covishield and Covaxin to be equipped between August and December this 12 months, at a revised value of Rs 205 and Rs 215 per dose, respectively, excluding taxes, official sources stated.
They stated 37.5 crore of Covishield doses from the Serum Institute of India and 28.5 crore Covaxin doses from Bharat Biotech shall be procured by December.
“An order to procure 66 crore more doses of COVID-19 vaccines–Covishield and Covaxin–to be supplied between August and December, at a revised price of Rs 205 and Rs 215 per dose, respectively, excluding taxes, has been placed,” the supply stated.
The value of every dose of Covishield quantities to Rs 215.25 and Covaxin Rs 225.75, together with taxes, it stated.
The Union well being ministry which was procuring each the vaccines at Rs 150 per dose, had indicated that the costs can be revised after the brand new COVID-19 vaccine procurement coverage got here into impact from June 21. Under the brand new coverage, the ministry will procure 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the drug producers within the nation.
While the Centre has requested each the vaccine manufacturing companies to scale up their manufacturing, the producers had indicated that getting Rs 150 for every dose whereas making investments to ramp up the manufacturing was not viable for them, sources stated.
The Union authorities had earlier allowed states and personal hospitals to acquire 50 per cent of the vaccines following calls for for decentralisation of the method.
However, after a number of states complained of issues together with of funding, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the revision of the vaccine pointers on June 8.
Domestic vaccine producers are given the choice to offer 25 per cent of their month-to-month manufacturing of vaccines to non-public hospitals.
According to the revised pointers which got here into impact from June 21, vaccine doses supplied freed from value by the Centre shall be allotted to states/UTs based mostly on standards resembling inhabitants, illness burden and the progress of vaccination, and all above the age of 18 shall be eligible for the free jabs.
Any wastage of vaccine will have an effect on the allocation negatively.
The states and UTs would mixture the demand of personal hospitals protecting in view equitable distribution between massive and small personal hospitals and regional stability.
“Based on this aggregated demand, the Government of India will facilitate the supply of these vaccines to the private hospitals and their payment through the National Health Authority’s electronic platform. This would enable the smaller and remoter private hospitals to obtain a timely supply of vaccines, and further equitable access and regional balance,” the ministry had stated.
The value of vaccine doses for personal hospitals can be declared by every vaccine producer, and any subsequent adjustments can be notified prematurely, it stated.
More than 41.69 crore vaccine doses have been supplied to states and UTs up to now, by all sources, the well being ministry stated on Saturday.