States may have to directly purchase doses

SO FAR, 17 STATES INCLUDING MP, KERALA, GOA AND TN HAVE DECIDED TO VACCINATE THEIR POPULATION FOR FREE

NEW DELHI: State governments will have to directly procure coronavirus vaccines from domestic or foreign manufacturers to give doses to people in the 18-44 age group when they become eligible from May 1, senior officials aware of the matter said, while adding that the centre will not get into procurements, including imports, beyond their 50% quota.

Even though both the Indian vaccine manufacturers that have been granted emergency use authorisation – Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India -- have declared the price at which they will sell their vaccines to states, state governments are free to further negotiate and explore procurement options for foreign made vaccines, these people said.

The foreign manufacturers in the fray are Pfizer-biontech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, with Johnson & Johnson having already applied to DCGI for bridging studies in India for its Covid-19 vaccine.

“The cost of vaccination depends entirely on the rate at which the state government procures the vaccines. We have been given to understand that some state governments have already begun negotiations with vaccine manufacturers.,” said a senior health ministry official aware of the matter, who did not want to be identified.

Another official said, on condition of anonymity, “The states are free to go for foreign made vaccines also provided the vaccine is imported as per the government of India guidelines. Usually, a foreign made vaccine is imported through local distributers. Foreign manufacturers get in to local tieups.” If states are able to better negotiate the price, in effect, it would mean the cost of vaccination for people in the 18-44 age group could come down further. Some states have already announced that they will be providing the vaccine for free.

So far, 17 states including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Tamil Nadu have decided to vaccinate their population for free.

SII announced prices of ₹400 for state governments and ₹600 for private hospitals/institutions, while Bharat Biotech’s quoted a price of ₹600 for state governments and ₹1,200 for private hospitals and institutions.

As some states showed apprehensions regarding the high cost, the Centre asked the manufacturers if they could reduce the selling price, one of the officials said.

Experts, however, say that given the Covid-19 surge , India needs to vaccinate its people faster.“it is very important that the vaccination pace is increased. However, the impact on second wave is minimal and it will mostly be beneficial in reducing mortality in subsequent waves,” said Dr Giridhara R Babu, head, epidemiology, Indian Institute of Public Health.