Covishield vaccine priced at ₹400 and ₹600 for state hospitals and private hospitals respectively, to be available in medical stores after 4-5 months

• Vaccine leader Serum Institute of India, which produces the Astrazeneca and Oxford vaccine called Covishield in India, has announced its pricing plans for Indian citizens.
• The vaccine will be made available for retail trade only after four-five months.
• As of Wednesday morning, India has reported 2.95 lakh new COVID-19 cases and 2,023 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The Indian government has opened up vaccination for all above the age of 18 from May 1. And, as one of the world’s most populous countries heads for a massive vaccination drive, the Indian government is working with private players to boost the supply of vaccines.

Vaccine leader Serum Institute of India (SII), which produces the Astrazeneca and Oxford vaccine called Covishield in India, has announced its pricing plans for Indian citizens.

Hospital	Cost per dose
State hospital	₹400
Private hospital	₹600

The company today, in a statement, said that the pricing has been kept much more affordable, when compared to global vaccines. However, the company said that the vaccines will continue to be made available through state-facilitated machinery and private health systems. The vaccine will be made available for retail trade only after four-five months.

“Going ahead, 50% of our capacities will be served to the government of India’s vaccination program, and the remaining 50% of the capacity will be for the state governments and private hospitals,” said Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of SII, in a statement on Wednesday.

As of Wednesday morning, India has reported 2.95 lakh new COVID-19 cases and 2,023 deaths in the last 24 hours. Several cities in India are under curfew restrictions, while the country’s national capital Delhi is under lockdown until April 26.

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