SERUM REDUCES PRICE FOR STATES TO ₹300 PER DOSE

Amid criticism over the cost of vaccines, the Serum Institute of India (SII) on Wednesday said it was lowering the price of its Covid-19 vaccine for state governments by 25% to ₹300 from an earlier price of ₹400 per dose.

The Pune-based company announced the decision days ahead of the third phase of the inoculation drive that is open to all adults from May 1.

Several states raised concerns earlier that the initial price of ₹400 per dose was steep compared to the Centre’s procurement price of ₹150/shot.

NEW DELHI: The ministry of home affairs has approved ‘Y’ category VIP security cover for Serum Institute of India chief executive officer Adar Poonawalla, people familiar with the development said on Wednesday.

They said that the decision to provide a security cover to the Poonawalla has been taken after Prakash Kumar Singh – director at Government and Regulatory Affairs at Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) wrote to the union home minister Amit Shah on April 16 requesting security citing potential threats. In this letter, Singh had stated that Poonawalla has been getting threats from various groups regarding the COVID-19 vaccine supplies, officials said.

A threat analysis was done that found potential threat to Poonawalla following which it was decided by the government that CRPF will provide him ‘Y’ category security cover and it will be applicable across India, wherever he travels, said an officer who didn’t want to be named. The Y category cover involves deployment of four to five armed commandos in close proximity of the protectee.