Centre Revises Rates For Procuring Covishield & Covaxin, Places Order To Get 66 Crore Doses: Report

There had been reports about the Union government is mulling over revising the prices at which it was procuring the COVID vaccines. Both the vaccines were being bought by Centre at Rs 150 per dose.

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New Delhi: The Union government has placed an order to procure additional 66 crores doses of Covishield and Covaxin that will be supplied between August and December this year. It has also revised the price at Rs 205 and Rs 215 per dose, respectively, official sources said.

According to the sources, 37.5 crore Covishield doses will be procured from the Serum Institute of India and 28.5 crore Covaxin doses from Bharat Biotech 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 source told news agency Press Trust of India.

The price of each dose of Covishield amounts to Rs 215.25 and Covaxin Rs 225.75, including taxes, it said.

Previously, there had been reports about the Union government is mulling over revising the prices at which it was procuring the COVID vaccines.

Both the vaccines were being bought by Centre at Rs 150 per dose. It was indicated that the prices would be revised after the new COVID-19 vaccine procurement policy came into effect from June 21. Under the revised policy, the ministry procures 75 percent of the vaccines being produced by the drug manufacturers.

When the Centre asked both manufacturing firms to ramp up vaccine production, the manufacturers had indicated that making investments for the same was not viable for them while being paid Rs 150 for each dose, sources told PTI.

As per the guidelines, the Union government provides vaccine doses to states/UTs free of cost on the basis of criteria such as population, disease burden and the progress of vaccination, and all above the age of 18 will be eligible for the free jabs.

Any wastage of vaccines affects the allocation negatively.

As of Saturday, more than 41.69 crore vaccine doses have been provided by the Centre to states and union territories so far. The latest data informed that 41,69,24,550 vaccine doses have been provided by the government of India and a further 18,16,140 doses are in the pipeline.

Of this, the total consumption including wastages is 38,94,87,442 doses as per data available at 8 am today.