New Delhi: The much-awaited Coronavirus vaccine Covishield made by Oxford-AstraZeneca will be sold at a price of Rs 1,000 per dose in private markets, Serum Institute of India (SII) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Adar Poonawalla said on Tuesday. While informing about the rates, Poonawalla told news agency ANI that first 100 million doses of Covidshield were sold only to the Government of India at a special price of Rs 200 as SII wanted to support the common man, the vulnerable, the poor, and healthcare workers. ALSO READ | Covid Vaccine: First Batch Of Covishield Vaccines With 56.5 lakh Doses Heads To 13 Cities As Distribution Begins

"To the Government of India, we will still maintain a very reasonable price, but it will be a little bit more than Rs 200 which is our cost price. So, we decided not to make any profit on the first 100 million doses, as we wanted to support the nation and the Government of India," Poonawalla said.

Talking about the challenge of bringing the vaccine to common man, SII CEO said, "We make 70-80 million doses every month. Planning is underway to see how many will be given to India and foreign countries. The health ministry has made logistics plans. We also have partnership with private players for trucks, vans, and cold storages."

Further speaking about distribution of Covishield to other countries, Poonawalla said that various countries have written to Prime Minister's Office (PMO) seeking supply of SII vaccine. However, he said that the company will try to keep everyone happy, but its priority is to take care of India's population as well.

ALSO READ | Indian Vaccine More Cost Effective Than Others, Health Workers Will Be Given Priority: PM Modi

Meanwhile, country's civil aviation sector swung into action on Tuesday for providing the expeditious logistical support to the roll-out of India's mega anti-Covid vaccination drive. Accordingly, nine flights operated by various domestic airlines ferried 56.5 lakh doses from Pune to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Chandigarh.

Last week, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued guidelines to airlines and other aircraft operators for transportation of Covid-19 vaccines. As per the guidelines, authorised airlines can carry the vaccine packed in dry ice in the passenger or the cargo cabin.