SII slashes prices for Covovax Covid vaccine. Check new rates

The price of each dose of the Covovax Covid vaccine has been slashed from ₹900 to ₹225, excluding taxes, Serum Institute of India (SII) on Tuesday informed. This comes a day after the Covid shot was included on the CoWIN portal for inoculation of children aged 12-17 years at private vaccination centres. Last week, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) cleared the vaccine for this age.

Prakash Kumar Singh, Director for Government and Regulatory Affairs, SII, earlier in the day, communicated to the government that the firm is reducing the price of each dose from ₹900 to ₹225 plus goods and services tax (GST) for private hospitals. 

On top of that, the private hospitals can charge up to ₹150 as service charge. The prices have been revised on the CoWIN portal too.

India's drug regulator had approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations in adults on December 28 last year and in the 12-17 age group, subject to certain conditions, on March 9.

Currently, children aged 12 to 14 years are vaccinated with Biological E's Corbevax, while those in the 15-18 age group are being administered Bharat Biotech's Covaxin free of cost at government vaccination centres.

At private centres a dose of Covaxin costs ₹386, including GST, while Corbevax costs ₹990.