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Covaxin is a highly purified and inactivated vaccine, manufactured in a vero cell manufacturing platform.
India is all set to begin the Covid-19 vaccination drive in the next few days with two vaccines Serum Institute of India's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Coavaxin.
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has dispatched the first batch of Covaxin for further distribution, said the company's CMD Dr Krishna Ella on Monday.
Addressing a press conference, Ella said that they have already sent the batch to the Central Research Institute (CRI) in Kasauali. CRI is the nodal agency to tests the drugs and facilitate in the roll out to the northern part of the country. However, he did not disclose the quantity of vials sent to the government.
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According to Ella, Bharat Biotech has 20 million doses ready and will manufacture 80 million more by July. The company, which aims to manufacture 700 million doses of Covaxin in future, is ramping up four new facilities in south India three in Hyderabad and one in Bangalore, he revealed.
When asked about price of the vaccine, Ella only said that it would be competitive with others. "Initially it may cost more but as the production scales up, the price would come down with more competition in the market," he said.
Covid-19 Vaccine likely to reach Odisha by Jan 30
Like many other states, Odisha successfully conducted the dry run for the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine in all its 30 districts on Saturday. Now, the state is all set to begin the mass vaccination drive against the novel coronavirus. Odisha has 1,222 well-equipped cold chain points across the state for storing the vaccines. Odisha Health Minister Naba Kishore Das is hopeful that the much-awaited Covid-19 vaccine will reach the state by January 30.
As soon as the vaccines reach Odisha, the roll-out and administration will begin on short notice, Mohanty told reporters on Monday.
Following the protocols, the first dose of the vaccine will be given to the Covid warriors including frontline health workers, the Minister said. A total of 3.2 lakh health workers have been identified to get the vaccine in the first phase in the state.
Notably, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted emergency use approval to two Covid-19 vaccines: Serum Institute of India's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Coavaxin.