With the national rollout of Zydus Cadila’s Covid vaccine, ZyCoV-D just 2 weeks away, different batches of ZyCoV-D are undergoing a final round of quality checks at the vaccine testing laboratory in Himachal Pradesh.
Talking to TOI, NK Arora, chairman of the Centre’s Covid working group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) expressed that if everything works out as per their plan the vaccine will be introduced in the immunisation programme as early as October 15-16.
Around 1.5 lakh doses of Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D vaccine have cleared the quality test at Central Drugs Laboratory, in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, sources told CNN-News18, adding that the government is currently in negotiation with the manufacturers to bring down the commercial price of the jab.
The manufacturers have quoted a price of Rs 1,800 to 1,900 per dose, which the government feels is on the higher side for a three-dose vaccine, and wants a lower figure, the sources said.
Also Read: Zydus Cadila Quotes Rs 1,900 for Its Covid Vaccine Shot; Govt in Talks to Curtail Price: Sources
The three-dose needle-free ZyCoV-D vaccine, manufactured by Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila is based on the plasmid DNA technology and follows a three-dose regimen with a 28-day gap between each dose.
“Since it is a three-dose vaccine, we need to ensure availability of one crore doses each month for the next three months,” Arora added.
The vaccine will be the first in India to be administered to children in the age groups of 12-18 years. According to the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, the Covid working group is in favour of starting inoculations for children and the details of comorbidities and prioritisation of beneficiaries in adolescents will be released soon, government sources had said.
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