Serum Institute of India to provide 20 mln Covishield vaccines worth $49.5 million to govt free of cost
New Delhi, India
Updated: Dec 29, 2022, 09:16 AM IST
The government has increased its surveillance and is genome sequencing Covid positive cases.
Photograph:(AFP)
Amid a rise in Covid cases in several countries, official sources on Wednesday said that the
Serum Institute of India (SII) has offered 20 million coronavirus vaccines, Covishield, free
of cost to the central government. The source said that the Director of Government and
Regulatory Affairs at the Serum Institute, Prakash Kumar Singh, has in written offered the
vaccine doses worth Rs 420 Crore ($50 million) free of cost to the Indian government, PTI
reported.
SII has previously provided vaccines to the government in its campaigns. Till now, the SII
has provided over 170 crores (1.7 billion) doses of Covishield to the government.
It is believed that Singh has sought to know how to deliver the doses.
The Indian government is on alert and has asked states and Union Territories to be prepared
amid a rise in Covid cases in countries including China and South Korea.
The government has increased its surveillance and is genome sequencing Covid positive cases.
It made random Covid testing mandatory on Saturday for two per cent of travellers arriving on
each international flight.
With only 27 per cent of Indians eligible to take precautionary doses, officials have urged
to those due for it to take it.
Officials sources have also listed that the next 40 days are crucial for India as it might
see a spike in coronavirus cases in January.
Health Ministry sources said that even if there is a wave in India, deaths and
hospitalisations will be very low.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya have held meetings
to assess India's preparedness for a surge in cases.
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