There are two Covid-19 vaccines that are being used in India right now -- Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Serum Institute of India's Covishield.
What do we know about Covaxin and Covishield?
Covaxin has been developed by Hyderabad-based company Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology.
Covishield, on the other hand, is a vaccine developed by the Oxford University and pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca. Its India partner is Pune-based Serum Institute, which has manufactured the AZD1222 vaccine in India under the brand name of Covishield.
Storage
Both the Covid-19 vaccines do not require sub-zero storage, no reconstitution requirement, and ready to use liquid presentation in multi-dose vials, stable at 2-8 degrees Celsius.
What is the optimal time interval between the required two shots?
The time interval between two doses of the Covishield vaccine has been extended from four-six weeks to four-eight weeks, while the second dose of Covaxin can be taken four to six weeks after the first.
The Centre has also advised people to take the second dose of Covishield between six and eight weeks after the first and protection from the killer virus would be optimum during this period, however, a delay beyond the eighth week may leave the beneficiary vulnerable.
Pricing
Bharat Biotech's Covaxin will cost ₹600 a dose for state governments and ₹1,200 a dose for private hospitals, the company said today.
Meanwhile, the Serum Institute of India will sell Covishield at ₹400 a shot to state governments and ₹600 a shot to private hospitals.
