Amid the second wave of coronavirus infection, the center has approved people above 18 years to be eligible for vaccination from May 1. Along with this, states, hospital chains, and corporate houses can now directly procure vaccine doses from manufacturers.
However, the Covid 19 vaccine will not be available for sale in chemist shops or pharmacies. Only hospitals and approved vaccination centers can buy and vaccinate eligible people with shots.
An official said, “Covid vaccines are allowed under emergency licensure and, therefore, they cannot be sold at chemists. It is important to administer them in a proper setup and follow the guidelines during immunization. Besides, all these vaccination centers, including the ones at workplaces, are linked with AEFI management centers to ensure identification and investigation of any adverse reaction.”
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According to senior officials, the AEFI (Adverse Events Following Immunization) will be recorded on Co-Win and carefully monitored. The government is also planning to come up with an advisory in the next two days for doctors and the general public on the identification, investigation, and management of AEFIs. The advisory is anticipated to outline specific symptoms that will be reported after vaccination.
In the latest update, the Serum Institute of India has priced its Covid Vaccine Covishield at Rs 600 per dose for the private market and Rs 400 per dose for state governments. Serum Institute of India has claimed its vaccine to be the cheapest form all other vaccines. The vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna are estimated to be Rs 1500 per dose and Sputnik V is priced at Rs 750 per dose.
Meanwhile, the country is suffering from a shortage of vaccines, and the health system is
continuously crashing down. India today has recorded a peak in single-day
cases. Around 2,95,041 fresh cases were reported on Wednesday with 2,023 fatalities