India will begin with its Phase 3 of mass inoculation for people above 18 years of age from May 1 for which the registration process will initiate from April 28. This is the first time that state governments and private hospitals will independently procure the vaccines and administer them at a fixed charge per dose. The Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech has declared prices for Covishield and Covaxin for state and union territory (UT) governments and open market.
Before you decide which coronavirus vaccine to take, clear all your confusion about the price, efficacy and effectiveness of Covaxin and Covishield vaccines.
Efficacy:
Both the vaccines are administered in two doses. Covishield has overall efficacy of 70 per cent, but it can be over 90 per cent when administered as a half dose followed by a full dose a month later.
Covaxin has shown the efficacy of 78 per cent in the second interim analysis and 100 per cent efficacy against 'severe Covid-19 disease'.
Covishield vs Covaxin Price:
SII’s Covershield will be provided at ₹400 per dose to states and ₹600 per dose to private hospitals. On the other hand, Covaxin will cost ₹600 per dose for the states and ₹1,200 per dose for private hospitals.
But how much will the consumers have to pay for the vaccine?
At COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs) run by the Centre, vaccines will be given for free. However, the final prices at private and state or UT CVCs might vary.
Meanwhile, several states like Uttar Pradesh, Goa, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala have announced that vaccination will be free for all.
The prices that have been announced are for state government and private hospitals to purchase, but for the end-users, the price for the vaccine will depend on whether the hospitals are imposing any additional service charges or not.
The recently announced price range is only for people in the age group between 18 and 44 years. Vaccination of healthcare workers, frontline workers and people above the age group of 45 years will continue as before.
Is the open-market price of vaccines the highest in India?
Coronavirus vaccine prices fixed for private hospitals in India — ₹600 and ₹1,200 — are claimed to be the highest in the world. While Bharat Biotech has not addressed the price issue and said recovering the cost is essential, Serum Institute CEO Adar Poonawalla said the comparison between the price in India and elsewhere is unfair.
When to take the vaccine?
If a person is taking Covaxin, then the second dose should be taken within four to six weeks, while Covishield’s, second dose has to be taken in four to eight weeks.
Can one take 1 dose of Covaxin and 1 of Covishield?
No, a person cannot take one dose of Covaxin and one of Covishield. Both vaccine doses should be of the same vaccine.
Can one get infected by COVID-19 even after taking both vaccine doses?
Yes, one can get infected with coronavirus even after taking both vaccine doses. However, as per the Union Health Ministry, you will likely have mild symptoms or you will be asymptomatic.
Side-effects of the vaccines
One can experience mild side effects after taking Covaxin, which include injection site pain, injection site swelling, injection site redness, injection site itching, stiffness in the upper arm, weakness in the injection arm, body ache, headache, fever, malaise, weakness, rashes, nausea, vomiting. The firm said that there is a thin chance the vaccine causes a severe allergic reaction. Signs of a severe adverse event include difficulty in breathing, swelling of face and throat, fast heartbeat, rashes all over the body, dizziness and weakness.
Some of the very common side effects of Covishield are tenderness, pain, warmth, redness, itching, swelling or bruising where the injection is given, generally feeling unwell, chills or feeling feverish, headache or joint aches.