New Delhi: A day before the start of the COVID Vaccine Booster Dose, the prices of Covishield and Covaxin in private hospitals have been slashed by more than half. The dosage of both the vaccines will now cost Rs 225. Let us inform you that, Covishield has been reduced from Rs 600, whereas, Covaxin has been reduced from Rs 1,200 to Rs 225. Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech, after discussions with the government, decided to cut the price of the anti-Covid vaccine for private hospitals to Rs 225 per dose. Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla and Bharat Biotech cofounder Suchitra Ella made the announcement on Twitter today.
Adar Poonawalla, the CEO, of Serum Institute, wrote on his official Twitter, “We are happy to announce that after discussions with the Central Government, SII has reduced the cost of COVISHIELD Vaccine for private hospitals from Rs 600 to Rs 225 per Decided to dose. We once again appreciate the Centre’s decision to open up the precautionary dose to all 18+.
At the same time, Bharat Biotech’s Joint Managing Director Suchitra Ella said that we have decided to reduce the cost of Covaxin from Rs 1200 to Rs 225 for private hospitals.
Vaccines have been provided on a large scale by SII and Bharat Biotech in the nationwide anti-Covid vaccination campaign being run by the Central Government. The decision of these two companies to drastically cut the cost of a single dose of the Covid vaccine to be administered in private hospitals assumes significance in view of the government’s decision to impose precautionary doses.
A booster dose will be applied from April 10
The health ministry had announced a day earlier that all people above the age of 18 would be given a precautionary dose from April 10. This dose will be given to only those people who have completed nine months of taking the second dose of the Covid vaccine.
According to the Ministry of Health, so far about 96 percent of people over the age of 15 years have taken at least one dose of Covid vaccine, while the number of people who have taken both doses is about 83 percent.
