When will COVID vaccines be available in open market?

New Delhi, Feb 17: When will COVID vaccines be available in open market? Dr Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, on Wednesday said that coronavirus shots are likely to be available in the open market by year-end or even before that.

"The vaccines will be available in open market only when prime targets-people to be vaccinated-are covered and there's equivalence of supply-demand. Hopefully there'd be such situation by year-end or before that. Then there would be likelihood of vaccine to come to open market," Dr RGuleria said.

Over 88 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered till now with more than 1.3 lakh jabs given on Tuesday, the health ministry said.

The 88,57,341 vaccine doses administered through 1,90,665 sessions include 61,29,745 healthcare workers who have taken the first dose and 2,16,339 health workers the second dose, along with 25,11,257 frontline workers who have received their first dose.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 and vaccination of the frontline workers started from February 2.

The ministry further said that nine adverse events following immunisation have been reported related to first dose vaccination and one AEFI has been related to second dose of vaccination till 6 PM on the 30th second day of vaccination.

The highest number of doses have been administered in Uttar Pradesh at 9,34,962 followed by Gujarat at 7,10,082, Rajasthan at 6,28,400, Madhya Pradesh at 5,75,728, West Bengal at 5,55,959 and Karnataka at 5,32,208, the ministry said.