The central government on April 19 expanded the COVID-19 vaccination drive to cover all adults from May 1. The government has allowed private hospitals and states to buy doses directly from manufacturers.
Under the third phase of the vaccination drive commencing next month, manufacturers would be free to supply 50 percent doses to state governments as well as in the open market, for which they will have to make an advance declaration of the price before May 1, the government said in a statement.
The opening up of the private market, where vaccine makers can potentially sell at a more remunerative price, may encourage more vaccines to be available in India. To be sure, media reports suggest that companies like Pfizer are insisting on waiver of indemnity.
Here is a comparison of COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available, and potentially those that can become available in the next few months.
Covishield
Platform: Covishield, which is AstraZeneca-Oxford University vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India (SII), is based on the adenovirus vector platform.
Safety: Covishield is a safe vaccine with mostly mild-to-moderate side effects. Covishield did face issues regarding instances of rare blood clotting. But the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have said that the benefits of using the vaccine outweigh the risks. Efficacy: Covishield efficacy increases to 82.4 percent when the dosing interval is stretched to 12 weeks or more. Doses and cold chain: SII’s vaccine requires two full doses and storage temperature of 2–8 degrees Centigrade (household refrigerator temperature). Availability: Approved and available in India. It is made in India by SII. Price: Currently sold at Rs 150 per dose, the price on the private market can go as high as Rs 1,000 per dose.
Covaxin Platform: Covaxin is based on the more established inactivated whole virion platform. The vaccine is developed locally by Bharat Biotech based on the SARS-CoV-2 strain provided by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) - Pune. Safety: Covaxin is a safe vaccine with mostly mild-to-moderate side effects. Efficacy: Its first interim data indicates efficacy of 81 percent at a four-week interval between two doses. Doses and cold chain: Covaxin requires two full doses with a gap of 28 days and storage temperature of 2–8 degrees Centigrade (household refrigerator temperature). Availability: Approved and available in India. Made in India. Price: Currently sold at Rs 150 per dose to the government, the price on the private market is not known.
Sputnik V Platform: The Sputnik V vaccine developed by Russia's Gamelya Center and bankrolled by the Russian government sovereign wealth fund, RDIF, is based on the adenovirus vector platform. Safety: Sputnik V updates from Russia and other countries suggest that the vaccine is safe with mostly mild-to-moderate side effects. Efficacy: Sputnik V data indicates 91.6 percent efficacy, as confirmed by details published in the Lancet. Doses and cold chain: Sputnik V requires two full doses with a gap of 21 days and a storage temperature of -18 to -22 degrees Centigrade. Availability: Approved in India, and is expected to be available from May. To be made in India. Price: The indicated price of a single dose is $10 or Rs 750 per dose.
Johnson & Johnson Platform: J&J vaccine is based on the adenovirus vector platform. Safety: J&J is a safe vaccine with mostly mild-to-moderate side effects. The vaccine is facing issues regarding instances of rare blood clotting events in the US, which is now being investigated. Efficacy: J&J vaccine was shown to be 66 percent protective against moderate to severe Covid infections overall from 28 days after injection. Doses and cold chain: J&J COVID-19 vaccine requires single dose and storage temperature of 2–8 degrees Centigrade (household refrigerator temperature). Availability: Not approved in India. To be made in India by Biological E. Price: J&J vaccine is expected to be priced at $10 per dose.
Pfizer-BioNtech Platform: Pfizer vaccine is based on genetic material or mRNA. Safety: It is a safe vaccine with mostly mild-to-moderate side effects. Efficacy: Pfizer vaccine has an efficacy of 95 percent after the second dose. Doses and cold chain: Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine requires two full doses with a gap of 21 days and storage temperature of -70 degrees Centigrade. Availability: Not approved in India. Price: The vaccine is priced at $19.5 per dose. It is available in South Africa at $10 per dose through public procurement.
Moderna Platform: Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is based on genetic material or mRNA. Safety: It is a safe vaccine with mostly mild-to-moderate side effects. Efficacy: Moderna vaccine has an efficacy of 94 percent after the second dose. Doses and cold chain: Moderna COVID-19 vaccine requires two full doses after a gap of 28 days and storage temperature of -20 degrees Centigrade. Availability: Not approved in India. Price: The vaccine is priced at $15 per dose in the US.
Sinopharm & Sinovac
Platform: Sinopharm and Sinovac are Chinese vaccines based on inactivated whole virion platforms. Safety: Data suggests that both the vaccines are safe with mostly mild-to-moderate side effects. Efficacy: Sinopharm claims to have 79 percent efficacy and Sinovac of about 50 percent. Doses and cold chain: Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccine requires two full doses and storage temperature of 2-8 degree Centigrade. Availability: Not approved in India. Price: Sinopharm vaccine - Rs 5,650 per dose and Sinovac - Rs 1,027 per dose.
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