Coronavirus vaccine news highlights: Maharashtra received 9.63 lakh Covishield vaccine doses

Assuring people of absolute safety of the Indian vaccines - Covishield and Covaxin - the Health Ministry on Tuesday encouraged people to participate in the vaccination process without any hesitation. The first batch of Covishield doses arrived in Delhi. In a decisive phase in India's fight against coronavirus, the first consignment of Covishield vaccines left Serum Institute of India for Pune airport on Tuesday morning, four days ahead of the nationwide inoculation drive launch. The government on Monday had placed a purchase order with Serum Institute of India (SII) for 11 million doses of Oxford Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield, each costing Rs 210, including the GST.

Thank you for following our coverage on the vaccine race.

Click here to follow our new blog and get the latest updates on the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Maharashtra government has received 9.63 lakh doses of Covishieldvaccinefrom Serum Institute of India (SII), health minister Rajesh Tope said on Tuesday.

Bharat Biotech announces that it has signed an agreement with Precisa Medicamentos for the supply of Covaxin to Brazil. (ANI)

In many countries, more than one vaccine is being used. There is no such option available to any of the beneficiaries in these countries: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, on being asked if the states and the beneficiaries will have a choice between Covaxin & Covishield (ANI)

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has decided to accept & support the two indigenously developed vaccines (Covishield & Covaxin). I would like to thank them for this: Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog

BBIL will provide 16.50 lakh doses of Covaxin free of cost to the Central govt as a special gesture: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan

The inoculation effect takes 14 days to develop after the administration of the two dosages. Hence it is imperative to maintain Covid-19 appropriate behavior: Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan (ANI)

Our vaccines are absolutely safe. Posibility of any side-effects is very minimal. We assure you that the India-made vaccines are safest of all, says Health Ministry.

1.1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine being procured from Serum Institute of India at a cost of Rs 200 per dose, excluding taxes: Govt.

The process of vaccination will be more complex in India than other countries due to the massive population, says Health Ministry

First consignment of Covishield vaccine arrived in Karnataka

First consignment of Covishield vaccine arrived in Karnataka on Tuesday.The consignment includes 64,750 vials, each vial has 10 doses.

We've given a special price of Rs 200 for the first 100 milliondoses only to the Government of India on their request, that we want to support common man, vulnerable, poor, healthcare workers. After that, we'll be selling it at Rs 1,000 in the private market, says Poonawalla.

Poonawalla added that SII would send its Covid-19 vaccine to other countries as well.

This is a historical moment that vaccine is being dispatched from our factory. Our main challenge is to bring it to everyone in the country. It is our challenge for 2021, let's see how it happens, saysAdar Poonawalla, CEO and Owner, Serum Institute of India.

Should I get a Covid-19 vaccine if I've had the virus?

Should I get a Covid-19 vaccine if I've had the virus? Yes. Regardless of a previous infection, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says people should plan on getting vaccinated when it's their turn.

Read more

The first consignment of Covishield vaccine by Serum Institute of India (SII) arrives at Kolkata airport.

National Health Mission Director Arundhati Chandrashekhar (centre) and Dr Rajani Nageshrao (right), Deputy Director, Immunisation, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Karnataka, pose with Covid-19 vaccine vials in Bengaluru. Credit:Department of Health and Family Welfare, Karnataka

Health secretary briefs parliament panel on Covid-19 vaccine's development and distribution

The Union health secretary and the ICMR DG deposed before a parliamentary panel on health on Tuesday to brief its members on the development and distribution of the coronavirus vaccine and answer their queries. According to the listed agenda of the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, the health secretary and the director general (DG) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) briefed the panel on "Vaccine Development, Distribution Management and Mitigation of Pandemic Covid-19". (PTI)

The committee is chaired by Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ram Gopal Yadav.

JUST IN | The first batch of Covid-19 vaccines reaches at Bengaluru airport.

India gears up for 'world's biggest vaccination drive'

Indian carrier Spicejet carried a large consignment of Covid-19 vaccines from the city of Pune to the capital New Delhi on Tuesday in preparation for what it called the world's biggest ever inoculation drive.

The private carrier will transport bulk vaccine consignments to several cities as state authorities prepare to launch the distribution process.

Read more

"At Rs 210 per dose of Serum Institute's Covishield, the Government of India has paid the lowest price among any governments across the world for a Covid-19 vaccine. The government has paid for 1.1 crore doses so far. Each jab will be of 0.5 ml. As many as 6,47,500 doses of Covishield as part of the first consignment will reach Bengaluru vaccine store in Anand Rao Circle by 11.45 am," saysKarnataka Health and Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar.

Belagavi will receive the next consignment tomorrow.

Temperature-controlled storage facility can handle 5.7 mn vials in a day: Delhi International Airport Limited CEO

Temperature-controlled facility, ranging from -20 degrees Celsius to +25 degrees Celsius, at our two Cargo terminals can efficiently & safely handle Covid-19 vaccines. Both terminals can handle around 5.7 mn vials in a day: DIAL CEO on arrival of Covid vaccine consignment. (ANI)

First batch of Covishield doses arrives in Delhi

A SpiceJet flight carrying the vaccines landed at the Delhi airport around 10 am. It had left for the national capital around 8 am, three hours after three trucks with the maiden consignment of the vaccines rolled out of the Serum Institute of India (SII) facility, 15 km from the Pune airport.

Read more

"One temperature-controlled troop carrier is en route to the airport now. Since the consignment is small, this will be sufficient to accommodate 54 boxes. Thereafter, we will reach Bengaluru's State Vaccine Store in Anand Rao Circle in 45 minutes from the airport," an immunisation wing official from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, told DH.

Covid-19 vaccine movement begins; 56.5 lakh doses to be flown to 13 cities across India

Four airlines will operate nine flights to transport 56.5 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Pune to 13 cities across the country on Tuesday, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

Read more

Once it arrives at the state vaccine centre, we'll be reinsuring that everything is in place. It'll be distributed further to 10 regional centres and51 walk-in coolers at the district level by today evening. Later, it will go to the actual vaccination site in cold boxes, the Tamil NaduHealth Secretary added.

At least 5.56 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses have been dispatched from Pune. We'll be receiving the vaccines at around 10.30 today. The dispatch details of remaining 20,000 doses of COVAXIN are yet to be received, says Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan.

Covid-19 vaccines are being unloaded at Delhi Airport. Credit: Delhi Airport

JUST IN | The first consignment of Covid-19 vaccine 'Covishield' arrives at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport from Pune.

The first consignment of Covid-19 vaccine to arrive in Ahmedabad today. At least 2.76 lakh doses arriving here today will be given to Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar andBhavnagar zones. The vaccination will begin at 287 session sites from January 16, saysDrPatel, Additional Director, Family Welfare, Gujarat.

Bengaluru's Covid-19 vaccine consignment has 54 boxes, weighing 1,728 kg, which will be departing Pune on a Spice Jet flight SG473 at 10.50 am and reaching Bengaluru airport at 11.45 am.

The first tranche of Bengaluru's Covid-19 vaccine consignment will reach Kempegowda International Airport at 11.30 am, says BIAL spokesperson.

Today, Air India, SpiceJet and IndiGo Airlines will operate nineflights from Pune with 56.5 lakh doses to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow & Chandigarh, says Union Civil Aviation Min Hardeep S Puri.

The first flight carrying Covid-19 vaccine Covishield has been shipped from Pune International Airport to Delhi.

Covid-19 vaccines are being loaded onto the aircrafts for distribution all over the country now.

Interacting with state chief ministers on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the enormity of what he called as the world's biggest vaccination exercise, saying over 30 crore citizens will get the jabs in the next few months in India against only 2.5 crore people vaccinated so far in over 50 countries in around a month.

On Monday, Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel tweeted that his state will receive the first consignment of coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday at 10.45 am at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad.

Among the first batch, one consignment is scheduled to be shipped by an Air India cargo flight to Ahmedabad.

The consignment for Mumbai will leave by road. Trucks belonging to Kool-ex Cold Chain Ltd are being used to ferry the vaccine stocks from Serum Institute.

The vaccines will be flown from Pune in eight commercial flights, including two cargo flights, the source said. The first cargo flight will cover Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and Bhubaneswar and the second cargo flight will go to Kolkata and Guwahati, he added.

The locations where these Covishield vaccines will be flown from Pune include Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Karnal, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guwahati, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar.

First Covishield vaccines consignment leaves Serum Institute

The trucks carried 478 boxes of the vaccines, each box weighing 32 kg, a source involved in the vaccine transport arrangements told PTI. The trucks left the Serum Institute of India premises at Manjari and reached the airport, located 15 km from the facility.

Read more

Three temperature-controlled trucks carrying Covishield vaccines has left the Serum Institute of India. The truck left after a puja wasperformed.

The country will launch its Covid-19 vaccination drive from January 16 in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the world's largest inoculation programme with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers.

The health ministry is also likely to soon sign a purchase order for another anti-coronavirus vaccine, Covaxin, which has been indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech. Meetings for this was underway, a source told PTI.

The HLL Lifecare Limited, a public sector undertaking, issued the supply order on behalf of the Union Health Ministry in the name of Prakash Kumar Singh, Additional Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India (SII). The Covishield vaccine doses would be initially shipped to 60 consignment points from where those would be distributed further, reports PTI quotingsources.

According to the order, each dose of the vaccine has been priced at Rs 200 and with GST of Rs 10 it would cost Rs 210.