Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), the manufacturer of Covishield, on Monday began the transportation of the Covid-19 vaccines after the company received the initial purchase order for 11 million doses at Rs 200 per shot by the Central government, Times of India (TOI) reported.
The OxfordUniversity-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, manufactured by SII, is going to be used for a mass vaccination drive in India.
According to a NITI Aayog member (health) VK Paul, both Covishield and Covaxin would be used in the first phase of vaccination.
Kool-Ex Cold Chain Ltd which is a cold chain logistics service provider has been assigned the responsibility of the Covid-19 vaccine's transportation from SII's manufacturing plant to 48 government depots.
The trucks containing vials of vaccines left from the SII building at 4.55 am on Monday to reach their designated destinations amid tight police security.
Initially, the doses will be administered to priority 3 crore groups that include health workers for free. The Vaccine is likely to be available in the market by June and that will cost around Rs 1,000 per dose.
