Serum Institute will provide free Covishield vials to private immunization centers to compensate for the price difference

A day after reducing the cost of the precautionary dose of Kovishield by Rs 225 per shot for private hospitals, Serum Institute of India (SII) on Sunday asked the Center to compensate for the price differential of unexpired stock lying with private centres. Will do In the form of free vials of fresh stock, official sources said. Vaccine majors SII and Bharat Biotech on Saturday said they have decided to cut the prices of precautionary doses of their respective COVID-19 vaccines by Rs 225 per shot for private hospitals after discussions with the government.

Bharat Biotech had also announced that any existing stock of Covaxin in private hospitals would compensate for the price difference in the form of additional doses. In a letter to the Union Health Ministry, Prakash Kumar Singh, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, said on Sunday, “As per the instruction of Dr Adar C Poonawalla, we would like to inform you that we will compensate the difference in prices. Existing unspent stock lying with Private COVID Vaccination Centers (CVCs).” “The difference between our Rs 600 plus GST and our Rs 225 plus GST will be compensated in the form of free vials of fresh stock of Kovidshield,” Singh expressed in the communication. learned to do