New Delhi: Serum Institute of India (SII) has urged the Union government to include Covovax in the National Covid-19 vaccination programme for inoculating those aged 12 years and above, official sources said Tuesday. The Pune-based SII said it wants to provide Covovax to private hospitals at Rs 900 per dose plus GST and is also waiting for directions to supply the vaccine to the Centre but has not mentioned the price.
India’s drug regulator had granted restricted emergency use authorisation to Covovax for the 12 to 17 years age group subject to certain conditions March 9 and for 18 years and above December 28.
In a letter to Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, the Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, Prakash Kumar Singh said private companies, educational institutes, social organisations, Central government organizations and Public sector undertakings are making requests for Covovax to inoculate their staffers, families and children, an official source said.
Also read: SII seeks EUA for its Covovax vaccine for 12-17 years age group
“Also, we are waiting for your kind direction for supplies of our Covovax vaccine to the Government of India,” Singh mentioned in his letter.
“Under the visionary leadership of our CEO Adar C Poonawalla, we have developed, manufactured and obtained emergency use authorisation from our national regulatory authority for one more world-class Covid-19 vaccine Covovax for 18 years and above on December 28, and for children in the age group of 12 to 17 years on March 9, 2022,” an official source quoted Singh as having said in the letter.
The Covid-19 vaccination for children in the age group of 12 to 14 years will begin from Wednesday. The vaccine to be given to this age group would be ‘Corbevax’ manufactured by Hyderabad-based Biological E. Limited.