‘No reason why states must complain now’: Harsh Vardhan on phase 3 vaccination

NEW DELHI: Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that he sees no reason why the states must complain now with the liberty granted to them to directly procure vaccine from the manufacturers and negotiate prices based on volumes.
In a four-page statement, the Vardhan said the allegation that Centre is getting it cheap and states are not is "patently false".

"The 50% quota, that is at Centre's pricing, is for free distribution of vaccines and distribution of all of this will be done through the states only. Hence the allegation that Centre is getting it cheap and States are not is patently false," he said.
The minister defended the new strategy under which everyone above 18 years of age will be vaccinated against Covid-19 from May 1 and hit out at those political leaders indulging in "needless politics" on the matter and spreading misinformation.
Under the third phase of the national vaccination drive commencing next month, the vaccine manufacturers would supply 50 per cent of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to the central government and would be free to supply the remaining 50 per cent doses to state governments and in the open market.
In his statement, Vardhan said multiple states like Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Sikkim, West Bengal, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have already announced that they will inoculate those between the ages of 18 and 45 against the coronavirus free of cost.
This is a welcome decision and under the new liberalised policy, they have the full freedom to do this, he said.
The health ministry earlier said that vaccine manufacturers would have to make an advance declaration of the price for the 50 per cent supply that would be available to the state governments and in the open market before May 1.
Bharat Biotech has fixed the price of its COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, at Rs 600 per dose for state governments and at Rs 1,200 per dose for private hospitals. Serum Institute of India has announced a price of Rs 400 per dose for "Covishield" for states and Rs 600 per dose for private hospitals. Both vaccines will be available to the central government at Rs 150 per dose.