The Central government has placed a fresh order for 660 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech for supply between August and December to enable the country meet its inoculation target under the free of cost vaccine drive for all adults in the country.

This is the largest order for vaccines placed so far and will cost the national exchequer Rs 14,505.75 crore. 

The government order will be split into 375 million doses of SII’s Covishield and 285 million of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin over the next five months. Both the companies have expanded their production and some government-owned companies will also start manufacturing Covaxin.

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Apart from the government’s purchase, another 220 million doses will be made available to the private sector by the vaccine manufacturers for those who prefer to pay for their shots. 

The fresh order has been placed by the government at Rs 215.25 per dose for Covishield and Rs 225.75 for Covaxin, inclusive of GST. This is higher than Rs 157.50 per dose that the government had paid for the vaccines earlier. Bharat Biotech had said last month that the price of Covaxin to the government of India at Rs 150 per dose “is a non-competitive price and clearly not sustainable in the long run.” The two companies have been supplying the vaccines to private hospitals at a higher price.

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According to government officials other companies will also roll out India-made vaccines from next month onwards and this is expected to increase the available supply so that the entire adult population can be inoculated by December.

The government expects 300 million doses of Biological E’s vaccine, 50 million of Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila’s DNA vaccine and 100 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine to be available soon.