States to get Covishield vaccine at Rs 400, pvt hospitals at Rs 600 a dose

State governments will get the Covishield vaccine at Rs 400 a dose and private hospitals at Rs 600, said the Serum Institute, which manufactures the inoculation against Covid-19. The price for central government stays at Rs 150.

Serum said its vaccine, which it manufactures as a partner of Britain’s AstraZeneca, is "affordable to any other" in the world. The company listed its prices two days after the government decided to open up vaccinations against Covid-19 to those aged 18 and above.

"For the next two months, we will address the limited capacity by scaling up the vaccine production. Going ahead, 50 per cent of our capacities will be served to the government of India's vaccination programme, and the remaining 50% of the capacity will be for the state governments and private hospitals," said Serum on Twitter.

Covishield comprises more than 90 per cent of the 12.76 crore Covid-19 vaccines administered in India so far, a PTI report said quoting government data on Wednesday. As many as states and union territories have only given Covishield. 

The single-day rise in new coronavirus infections inched closer to 3 lakh on Wednesday, pushing India's total tally of Covid-19 cases to 1,56,16,130, while the death toll increased to 1,82,553 with a record 2,023 daily fatalities.

As the country grapples with a worrying second wave of coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday appealed to states that lockdowns should be the last option. In a hurriedly called address to the nation late Tuesday evening, the PM said economic activity and livelihood must remain least impacted.