Hyderabad-based vaccine manufacturer Bharat Biotech has been supplying Covaxin — its Covid-19 vaccine — directly to 14 states beginning May 1.
According to a tweet by the company’s joint managing director Suchitra Ella, Bharat Biotech has been supplying Covaxin to Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Ella said in the tweet, “Glad to announce that Bharat Biotech confirms direct supplies of COVAXIN to the following state govt’s since 1/5/21, based on the allocations received by the GoI. Requests have been received from other states, and will be processed for distribution based on availability of stocks 24x7.”
The company is now getting requests from other state governments as well, and will be processing them for distribution based on availability of the vaccine.
Bharat Biotech had earlier announced a price cut in Covaxin for states to Rs 400 per dose in the last week of April, from the earlier announced price of Rs 600 per dose.
The Centre had announced expansion of the Covid-19 vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 years of age to get a jab.
The Centre will continue to procure and distribute vaccines for free for those above 45 years. The states, on the other hand, will procure vaccines directly from vaccine makers based on their plans for inoculation of all above 18 years.
Private sector hospitals, too, are allowed to procure vaccines directly from vaccine manufacturers now.
Both Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech have announced prices of vaccines for state governments and for the private hospitals. While Serum Institute has priced it at Rs 300 per dose for state governments.
Serum Institute did not divulge details on which state governments they are currently supplying directly.
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