New Year is marked with the approval of the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The expert panel at the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has given authorisation for the emergency use of the vaccine.
More than 5 crore doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have already been stockpiled by its local manufacturer, Serum Institute of India (SII), and sources said the shots could start to be transported from cold storage to all states as early as Saturday.
India has now become the third country after United Kingdom and Argentina to give the go-ahead to the coronavirus vaccine.
The decision would pave the way for the vaccine’s rollout in the world’s second-most populous country which, after the United States, has the highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world.
India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), whose experts were meeting for the second time this week, could also approve a coronavirus vaccine locally developed by Bharat Biotech, two of the sources said on condition of anonymity. “For the Government of India, Covishield (Oxford vaccine) will cost about USD 3 per dose, so USD 6 [Rs 440] per person, but for the private market, it will cost around Rs 700-800,” said Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla.
