The Centre has included Serum Institute of India’s Covovax in the country’s Covid-19 vaccination drive by making it available at private facilities for children aged between 12 and 17. Provision to book slots for the vaccine is being added to the government’s CoWIN portal, according to sources in the Health Ministry. Each Covovax dose will cost Rs 900 (plus GST), with an additional Rs 150 for covering the cost of services and consumables at the hospitals. This comes after the government’s technical panel — National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) — recommended the use of the vaccine among children aged between 12 and 17 years. So far, children in the 12-14 age group could get only Biological E’s Corbevax and those between 15 and 17 years Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. These vaccines are available free of cost at government centres. At private facilities, Covaxin costs Rs 375 (plus GST), and Corbevax Rs 990. The source from the Health Ministry said, “The government does not need to buy any more doses for now. it still has around 20 crore doses still.” With the NTAGI also reviewing whether the gap between the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine and precaution dose should be reduced to six months instead of the current nine, the source said “it should be allowed at least for those travelling abroad”
