Govt places purchase order with Serum Institute for 11 million doses of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine

On Monday, the government has placed an order with the Serum Institute of India (SII) for the purchase of 11 million doses of Covishield's Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, each costing Rs. 210 (US$ 2.86), including GST, official sources said.

The shipment of the vaccine is likely to begin by late Monday night, they said.

ach dose of the vaccine was priced at Rs. 200 (US$ 2.72) and would cost Rs. 210 (US$ 2.86), with a GST of Rs. 10 (US$ 0.14).

On behalf of the Union Health Ministry, HLL Lifecare Limited, a public sector undertaking, released a supply order on behalf of Mr. Prakash Kumar Singh, Additional Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at the Serum Institute of India (SII).

Initially, the Covishield vaccine doses will be delivered to 60 consignment points from where all those doses will be further distributed, the sources said.

A purchase order for another anti-coronavirus vaccine, Covaxin, which has been indigenously established by Bharat Biotech, is also likely to be signed soon by the health ministry.

Recently, India authorized emergency use authorisation for two vaccines, Oxford's Covishield being manufactured in India by the Serum Institute and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech. Safety and immunogenicity have been confirmed in both vaccines.

On January 16, 2020, India plans to launch its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the world's largest inoculation programme with an emphasis on nearly three crore healthcare staff and frontline workers.

After healthcare and frontline staff vaccination is completed, priority would be provided to those over 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities, together totalling about 27 crore.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.