Amid the second wave of coronavirus infection, the centerhas approved people above 18 years to be eligible for vaccination from May 1.Along with this, states, hospital chains, and corporate houses can now directlyprocure vaccine doses from manufacturers.
However, the Covid 19 vaccine will not be available forsale in chemist shops or pharmacies. Only hospitals and approved vaccinationcenters can buy and vaccinate eligible people with shots.
An official said, “Covid vaccines are allowed underemergency licensure and, therefore, they cannot be sold at chemists. It isimportant to administer them in a proper setup and follow the guidelines duringimmunization. Besides, all these vaccination centers, including the ones atworkplaces, are linked with AEFI management centers to ensure identificationand investigation of any adverse reaction.”
According to senior officials, the AEFI (Adverse EventsFollowing Immunization) will be recorded on Co-Win and carefullymonitored. The government is alsoplanning to come up with an advisory in the next two days for doctors and thegeneral public on the identification, investigation, and management of AEFIs.The advisory is anticipated to outline specific symptoms that will be reportedafter vaccination.
In the latest update, the Serum Institute of India haspriced its Covid Vaccine Covishield at Rs 600 per dose for the private marketand Rs 400 per dose for state governments. Serum Institute of India has claimedits vaccine to be the cheapest form all other vaccines. The vaccines by Pfizerand Moderna are estimated to be Rs 1500 per dose and Sputnik V is priced at Rs750 per dose.
Meanwhile, the country is suffering from a shortage of vaccines, and the health system iscontinuously crashing down. India today has recorded a peak in single-daycases. Around 2,95,041 fresh cases were reported on Wednesday with 2,023 fatalities