India Cancels Import Duty On COVID Vaccines, as per Government Source
New Delhi- According to a government source, India will waive its 10% customs duty on imported COVID-19 vaccines in an attempt to speed up the vaccination drive in order to curb the spread of the cases of the novel coronavirus which is skyrocketing and spiraling out of control with every passing day. Boosting up the vaccination process has been the top priority of the government in their fight against this deadly infectious disease.
Imports of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine are to arrive soon in India and the government has also requested Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson to supply their vaccines to India as an attempt to keep the second wave of the pandemic at bay.
According to an unnamed government official, the government of India will not intervene with the private vaccine companies in setting prices for the vaccine in an open market.
The Indian government currently regulates the sale and purchase of all COVID-19 vaccines throughout the country.
As of Monday, India recorded more than 2.59 Lakh fresh new cases of the novel coronavirus taking the tally of the caseloads to more than 1.53 crores. In the last 24 hours, India reported 1,761 new fatalities, marking it the biggest spike in the numbers of COVID fatalities recorded in a single day taking the death toll of the country which now stands at 1,80,530. India has reported over 2.5 lakhs cases of coronavirus-infected patients for the fourth consecutive day. India now stands second only to the United States of America as the worst COVID-19 affected country in the world.
The government of Monday announced that all people above the age of 18 will now be eligible to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. The government said that the vaccine manufacturers will have to supply 50% for the vaccines to the center and the rest to the states, in an open market at a pre-declared price.
Meanwhile, Assam on Monday saw the biggest surge in the cases of the novel coronavirus with 1,367 fresh infections. Seven deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours. The districts which reported the freshest new cases are Kamrup Metro with a staggering 482 cases followed by Dibrugarh at 109, Kamrup Rural at 106, and Sonitpur at 67. With a positivity rate of 2.09%, the total active cases in the state now amount to 6,316 cases.