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    HomeNewsIndiaCentre, not states should bear full cost of COVID-19 vaccines: Arvind Subramanian

    Centre, not states should bear full cost of COVID-19 vaccines: Arvind Subramanian

    Differentiation and complexity are unethical, unnecessary and difficult to implement, former chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian said.

    PTI
    April 25, 2021 / 08:57 IST
    Former CEA Arvind Subramanian (File image)

    Terming India's COVID-19 vaccine pricing as complicated and politicised, former chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian on April 24 said the Centre and not states should bear the full cost of vaccines.

    On April 19, the Centre announced that all above 18 years of age will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination from May 1 while private hospitals and states will be able to buy doses from manufacturers.

    "India's vaccine pricing being complicated/politicized. ... Govt. should pay manufacturers reasonable price. This is not the time for haggling and creating uncertainty for private sector, domestic or foreign," he said in a series of tweets.

    waived basic customs duty

    Serum Institute of India (SII) earlier this week announced a price of Rs 400 per dose for its COVID-19 vaccine Covishield for state governments and Rs 600 per dose for private hospitals.

    COVID-19 Vaccine

    Frequently Asked Questions

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    How does a vaccine work?

    A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

    How many types of vaccines are there?

    There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

    What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

    Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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    This is compared to Rs 150 per dose it charges the central government for the existing supplies. "There should be only ONE price for vaccine jabs all over India. That price should be ZERO. So, vaccines should be free for all. Differentiation and complexity are unethical, unnecessary, and difficult to implement," Subramanian said.

    "Free vaccines for all will avoid vaccine politicization. The Centre-NOT states-should bear full fiscal "costs" of vaccines," he added.

    COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: All you need to know about manufacturing and pricing

    Earlier this week, Serum said, "Going ahead, 50 percent of our capacities will be served to the Government of India's vaccination program, and the remaining 50 percent of the capacity will be for the state governments and private hospitals."

    The government on April 24 waived basic customs duty on import of COVID-19 vaccines, medical-grade oxygen and related equipment for three months with immediate effect to boost their availability and make them cheaper amid rising cases of coronavirus infections in the country.

    Click here for Moneycontrol’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic

    PTI
    first published: Apr 25, 2021 08:57 am

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