In a recent development, Serum Institute of India (SII) has said that it will provide Covishield to private hospitals for Rs 600 per dose while it will charge the state governments Rs 400 for per dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. In a statement posted on its Twitter handle, SII said it will address the limited capacity by scaling up the vaccine production over the next two months. But people aren't seem to be happy with the disparity in Covishield prices between Centre and states. On Wednesday, Bollywood actors Farhan Akhtar and Sonu Sood questioned why SII was not providing its Covishield vaccine at the same price to everyone.
Taking a dig at the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, Farhan Akhtar took to his social media and questioned the company over the disparity in rates of the vaccine.
The actor wrote, "Can a spokesperson for the @SerumInstIndia please help us understand why states should not get Covishield at the same price as the centre?? And if they have issued a statement citing reasons, could someone please share a link re the same. Thank you."
On the other hand, Sonu who tested positive for COVID-19 a few days back also stressed on providing free vaccinations to those who are needy.
The actor tweeted "Every needy should get vaccine for free. Very important to put a cap on the pricing. Corporates and individuals who can afford should come forward to help everyone get vaccinated. Dhandha phir kabhi aur kar lenge. (Do business some other time)," Sood wrote.
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The tweets from the actors came a few hours after the SII announced the rate cards for Covishield vaccines for states and centre ahead of May 1 COVID-19 vaccination drive. Everyone above 18 years of age will be eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19 from May 1, the central government said and also liberalized the vaccination drive to allow states, private hospitals and industrial establishments to procure the doses directly from manufacturers.
As of now, Serum Institute of India is selling Covishield to the Centre at Rs 150 per dose.
