From the Newsroom: SII reduces Covid-19 vaccine price for states by Rs 100 per dose

In your evening news brief, SII says Rs 100 reduced per dose price of Covishield offered to state governments; Maharashtra government has decided not to commence inoculations for ages 18 to 44 from May 1 and ahead of Phase 3 of the Covid-19 vaccination drive, many people face issues regarding registration.

Here is the top news of April 28, 2021:

Amid uproar over vaccine prices, Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) on Wednesday announced a Rs 100 reduction in the per dose price of Covishield offered to state governments.

“As a philanthropic gesture on behalf of Serum Institute of India, I hereby reduce the price to the states from Rs 400 to Rs 300 per dose, effective immediately,” Adar Poonawalla, the CEO of SII said.

He said the reduction in prices would save thousands of crores of state funds and enable more vaccinations and save countless lives.

Concerned about its supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government has decided not to commence inoculations for ages 18 to 44 from May 1.

Also read: Maharashtra government will not start Covid-19 vaccinations for ages 18 to 44 from May 1

However, the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government decided to provide the vaccines free to those in the age group. The move will put a burden of Rs 6,500 crore on the state's coffers.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting in which the Covid-19 pandemic situation, vaccination drive and lockdown measures were discussed threadbare.

Ahead of Phase 3 of the Covid-19 vaccination drive, many people faced issues registering on the government apps, Co-WIN and Aarogya Setu, as people aged 18 and above flocked to list themselves for the jabs.

Many complained of server issues and others said the OTP was not received, the first and key step in registration.

The mandatory registration began today, and the inoculation begins May 1. The walk-in registration, which was available during other phases, has been stopped for Phase 3 to prevent crowding.