The Centre has negotiated the pricing of Zydus Cadila's Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D and is set to roll it out in the public immunisation programme within weeks. This will mean initiating vaccination of children 12 years and above with identified comorbidities.
Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, "The pricing of the ZyCoV-D vaccine has been finalised. The manufacturers had started production immediately after getting emergency use authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI)."
When asked when will the vaccine be introduced in the public immunisation drive, the health minister replied, "Turant hee (Immediately)."
According to sources, the government has negotiated the pricing of the vaccine which is "much lower than what the manufacturers had demanded but more than what the government is paying for Covaxin and Covishield".
Zydus Cadila had received EUA from DCGI for ZyCoV-D on August 20. It is a three-dose vaccine which is administered using a special syringe. The Centre has been training healthcare workers in administering this vaccine.
The government will introduce the vaccine for children 12 years and above. The first priority group will be children with comorbidities like cancer, respiratory, neurological, rheumatic, cardiac, liver, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and developmental disorders. This will be the first children's vaccine in India.
While the government has negotiated the pricing with the manufacturer, private hospitals will need to negotiate themselves.
Even as the government is paving the way for immunisation of children above 12 years of age, it is treading carefully on vaccination of children between 2 and 12 years.
Health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, "The pricing of the ZyCoV-D vaccine has been finalised. The manufacturers had started production immediately after getting emergency use authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI)."
When asked when will the vaccine be introduced in the public immunisation drive, the health minister replied, "Turant hee (Immediately)."
According to sources, the government has negotiated the pricing of the vaccine which is "much lower than what the manufacturers had demanded but more than what the government is paying for Covaxin and Covishield".
Zydus Cadila had received EUA from DCGI for ZyCoV-D on August 20. It is a three-dose vaccine which is administered using a special syringe. The Centre has been training healthcare workers in administering this vaccine.
The government will introduce the vaccine for children 12 years and above. The first priority group will be children with comorbidities like cancer, respiratory, neurological, rheumatic, cardiac, liver, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and developmental disorders. This will be the first children's vaccine in India.
While the government has negotiated the pricing with the manufacturer, private hospitals will need to negotiate themselves.
Even as the government is paving the way for immunisation of children above 12 years of age, it is treading carefully on vaccination of children between 2 and 12 years.
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