COVID VACCINES: ARE THEY FREE OR YOU HAVE TO PAY?

In India, more than 100 million people have received the COVID jab of two approved vaccines i.e. Covaxin and Covishield.

Amid the deadly second coronavirus wave, a third COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in India. Russia's Sputnik V is considered safe and is like the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured in India as ‘Covishield’

Covishield manufactured by the Serum Institute of India will be given at Rs 400 per dose to states and Rs 600 per dose to private hospitals, while Bharat Biotech's Covaxin will cost Rs 600 per dose for the states and Rs 1,200 per dose for private hospitals.

To ramp up India's immunisation campaign, more than 20 states, so far, have announced to provide free Covid-19 vaccines to their people.

Centre giving free vaccines to people above 45 years. State governments will give it free of cost to people of age group 18-44 years. The Centre and the state governments in turn will be paying to the vaccine manufacturing companies.