Which is the cheapest and most effective vaccine in India; Check pricing and breakdown

New Delhi, June 09: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced a policy change for India's vaccination drive.

It will procure 75 per cent of the vaccines, including the 25 per cent that is currently assigned to the states. This system would come into effect on June 21-International Yoga Day. Meanwhile the Centre has also capped prices of vaccines at private hospitals.

Let us take a look at the breakdown in pricing for the three vaccines available in India- Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V. This pricing has been capped by the government for private hospitals.

Covishield:

• Price per dose declared by manufacturer: Rs 600
• GST@5 per cent: Rs 30
• Maximum service charge per dose, inclusive of taxes: Rs 150
• Total: Rs 780

About Covishield: The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII). The vaccine is based on the viral vector platform and is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus from chimpanzees. Covishield is a two doses shot which is administered 12 weeks apart. It has an efficacy of 70 per cent.

Covaxin:

• Price per dose declared by manufacturer: Rs 1,200
• GST@5 per cent: Rs 60
• Maximum service charge per dose, inclusive of taxes: Rs 150
• Total: Rs 1,410

About Covaxin: The Covaxin manufactured by Bharat Biotech is an inactivated vaccine which contains the dead virus. This triggers an immune response, but does not make the person sick. The preliminary data of the Phase 3 trials shows that Covaxin has a an efficacy rate of 81 per cent. The duration between the two doses is 28 days

Sputnik V:

• Price per dose declared by manufacturer: Rs 948
• GST@5 per cent: Rs 47.40
• Maximum service charge per dose, inclusive of taxes: Rs 150
• Total: Rs 1,145

About Sputnik V: The Sputnik V is manufactured by the Gamalaya Institute, Moscow. This is also a vector vaccine based on an adenovirus. Two slightly different versions of the vaccine are administered 21 days apart. Sputnik V has an efficacy of 92 per cent.

Fixation of maximum price per dose for COVID-19 vaccination: