Covaxin: Private Hospital Cost ₹1,200, and ₹600 for States

According to a statement released on Saturday by Bharat Biotech, Covaxin will cost 600 dollars for state governments and ₹1,200 for private hospitals. The COVID-19 vaccine would cost between $15 and $20 for export. Serum Institute of India, the country's other vaccine manufacturer, will sell its Covishield vaccine to states for 400 rupees per shot and to private hospitals for 600 rupees per shot.

"Recovery of costs is critical in the development of other vaccines, such as Intranasal COVID-19. For the past 25 years, our core goal has been to provide affordable, world-class healthcare solutions to people all over the world," Krishna M Ella, chairman and managing director of Bharat Biotech, informed in a statement.

Covaxin is an inactivated and highly purified vaccine, according to the company, which makes producing it costly due to low process yields. "Bharat Biotech's internal funding and resources were mainly used to finance product growth, manufacturing facilities, and clinical trials," the company said.

The new round of vaccinations in India will begin on May 1, and everyone over the age of 18 will be able to participate. States should try to register more private vaccination centres in "mission mode," according to the centre.

"The CoWIN network has now reached a point of stability and is operating at full capacity. It is prepared to handle the complexities of the new vaccination process, which begins on 1st May" said Dr RS Sharma, chairman of COVID-19's empowered group on technology and data management.

Mr Sharma stated that states must upload accurate and timely data because any inaccurate data will jeopardise the system's integrity. The federal government has asked states to pay frontline health employees "equal and consistent remuneration."

The recent increase in Covid cases has triggered what is now being referred to as a deadlier second wave of the pandemic. Stories of desperate people struggling to find oxygen or a hospital bed for their friends and family abound on social media.

This time, a growing number of people are complaining of breathlessness, which necessitates the use of oxygen. However, due to a sudden increase in demand across cities and towns, oxygen availability has become severely reduced.