Boxes of Covishield, the vaccine made at the Serum Institute of India, has left for multiple locations across India, Mr. Adar Poonawalla, CEO, SII, tweeted on Tuesday. “An emotional moment for the team at Serum Institute as the first shipments finally leave,” it said.
The Centre has procured 11 million doses at ₹200 a dose. Two doses, 28 days apart, are to be given to 30 crore healthcare workers and others in priority groups identified by States. As part of the government-sponsored inoculation of health workers, 5.5 million doses of Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech, are also being procured.
The SII had previously stated it had “stockpiled” 50 million doses. However, the government said on Tuesday that procurements would be staggered. After the first 100 million doses, the vaccine would be sold at ₹1000 a dose in private markets, Mr. Poonawalla said.
