Serum Institute will provide 2 crore Covishield doses free of cost to the central government

Amid rising cases of Covid-19 in some countries, the Serum Institute of India has offered two crore doses of Covishield vaccine to the central government free of cost. Official sources gave this information today. The Press Trust of India reported that according to an official source, Prakash Kumar Singh, director of government and regulatory affairs at the Serum Institute, has written to the health ministry offering free doses of ₹410 crore. The Serum Institute of India (SII) has so far provided more than 170 crore doses of Covishield to the government for the national immunization programme. Amid spurt in Covid-19 cases in some countries including China and South Korea, the government has issued an alert and asked states and union territories to be prepared for any eventuality.

India has increased surveillance and genome sequencing of Covid positive samples. Only 27 percent of the eligible adult population has received a booster dose. Government officials have appealed to the people to take it. Official sources on Wednesday cautioned that the next 40 days would be crucial, as India could see a surge in Covid in January. Sources in the health ministry said that even if there is a wave, the rate of death and hospitalization would be very low. The government made coronavirus testing mandatory for two per cent of passengers arriving on every international flight from Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya have held meetings to assess the country's preparedness to deal with the new surge in cases. Mock drills were conducted at health facilities across India on Tuesday to check their operational preparedness to deal with any spurt in COVID-19 infections.