Covid-19 Vaccine Price Relaxed, Jabs Will Now Cost Less Than Rs 200 Per Dose: Health Ministry

Asserting that the Centre has been able to renegotiate the price of Covishield, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said it will be significantly less than the Rs 200 per dose.

With the number of people taking vaccine for the novel coronavirus gradually going up, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government on Thursday said it has renegotiated the price of the Covid-19 vaccine and added the reduced price is significantly lower.

Asserting the Centre has been able to renegotiate the price of Covishield, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said it will be significantly less than Rs 200 per dose.

The Centre has so far allowed the private health facilities to charge a maximum of Rs 250 for the vaccine’s one dose.

Responding to a poser if there is sufficient stock of vaccine in the country, the Health Secretary ruled out any shortage and said: “2, 56, 90,545 vaccine doses have been administered across the country” till 1 p.m. as on March 11.

He added that 71 per cent of vaccines doses were administered in public health facilities and 28.77 per cent at private facilities.

Meanwhile, the states of Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu continue to report a high number of Covid daily new cases. They cumulatively account for 85.91 percent of the new cases reported in the past 24 hours.

A total number of 22,854 new cases were registered in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 13,659 followed by Kerala with 2,475 while Punjab reported 1,393 new cases.