Kerala set to book 70 lakh Covishield doses, delivery likely to start after 3 months

COVID-19 in Kerala

Kochi: Several adults aged between 18 and 45 may have to wait long before rolling up their sleeves to receive the anti-COVID-19 vaccine shot.

Covishield, the vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, is likely to reach Kerala only after three months, even if the State places an order now.

The State cabinet, on Wednesday, decided to procure 70 lakh Covishield doses from the Serum Institute to vaccinate adults below 45. Indications are that the State will have to wait till the first week of August to receive the consignment.

Even then, a small percentage of the vaccine is likely to reach Kerala. The delay is due to the wide gap between demand and production. Authorities concerned said the manufacturer has not yet commenced the production of the drug meant for the states.

It is also learned that Kerala has initiated only informal talks with the Pune-based institute. Also, the institute’s monthly review meeting is yet to be convened. The meeting decides the priority and quantity of doses, based on bookings made by the states.

The State government has announced that private hospitals should procure the vaccine on their own. Private hospitals, preferring to procure the vaccine directly from the manufacturer, too, will have to wait.

Online registration for COVID-19 vaccination for adults below 45 commenced across the country from Wednesday.

SII production limits

Currently, the Serum Institute is manufacturing 11 crore doses of vaccine and is contractually obliged to hand it all over to the Central government. The institute is in the process of increasing its plant’s capacity to produce 10 crore doses a month from the current six crore doses.

Even if the plant’s capacity is ramped up, the production will still fall short of demand. Half of the additional production will go to the central government.

Additionally, each batch of the dose produced will be released only after testing it at the Central Drugs Laboratory, located at Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh. The process will take about one-and-a-half months for completion.

AP pushes vaccination to Sept

Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Jagan Mohan Reddy said the vaccination of those aged below 45 would commence only in September. Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, too, have informed that the vaccine arrivals would be delayed. 

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