India Orders 10Mn New Covishield Doses Backing AstraZeneca
According to the latest reports, India has ordered 10 million more doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield as the country has no concerns regarding its efficacy unlike South Africa. Vinod Kumar Paul, a Top Vaccine official, “The vaccination programme in India is robust and valid. There is nothing to worry about at the present time, so we should go ahead with it.“ Moreover, he informed that the surveillance will be intensified and a track on the development in the coming time will be kept.
It must be noted that South Africa had put a hold on the use of the AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine as well as emphasized delayed use after researchers found it to provide minimal protection against mild-to-moderate covid-19 disease caused by the South African variant.
India as of now does not have any case of the South African variant of the novel coronavirus. The use of the vaccine will be continued in the country-wide inoculation drive that has covered 6.3 million front-line workers since its beginning, January 16.
Covishield is the Indian version of the AstraZeneca and Oxford vaccine being developed by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world's biggest vaccine maker.
Apart from 11 million vaccines supplied earlier, India has again ordered 10 million more doses of Covishield as per SII spokesman. Serum Institute has 100 million doses of Covishield, which is about 72% effective to the Indian government at Rs. 200 each, which is a discounted price.
It must be noted that India is also using indigenously developed Covaxin by Bharat Biotech.
The Indian government aims at covering 300 million people by August, reaching the elderly and those with existing conditions by March.
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Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.
