Karnataka to order 1 crore doses of Covishield Covid-19 vaccine

A medical staff fills a syringe with the Covishield, AstraZeneca-Oxford's Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination centre. Credit: AFP Photo

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has approved the purchase of one crore doses of the Covishield vaccine at a cost of Rs 400 crore, his office said Thursday.

This will be the first phase of the purchase, according to the Chief Minister’s Office. “This will be used for vaccination of persons between 18 and 44 years,” it said.

Till date, Karnataka has vaccinated 76.41 lakh people aged above 45 years.

Also read: How to register for Covid-19 vaccine for above 18s: Everything you need to know

Yediyurappa’s decision to purchase Covishield, the Oxford–AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine made locally by the Serum Institute of India, comes after the Centre liberalized the vaccination drive in the third phase to allow states, private hospitals and industries to get doses directly from manufacturers.

The third phase of vaccination, which covers all people above 18 years of age, begins May 1.

Some BJP-ruled states have announced providing vaccines for free to all adults. Karnataka is yet to take a call on this.

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