Pune : India’s war against Corona has reached its turning point. The vaccination campaign is beginning in the country from 16 January, for which the Serum Institute of India has today sent the first batch of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid19 vaccine to the government.
The government on Monday ordered the purchase of 1.1 crore doses of COVID19 vaccine ‘Covishield’ from Oxford. Each vaccine costs Rs 210 including GST. Today, on Tuesday morning, the first consignment of the Covishield vaccine was dispatched from the production center of Serum Institute of India in Pune with complete security arrangements.
Three trucks loaded with the vaccine left for the Pune airport in the security of police from the Manjari location of the Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune. Three trucks carrying vaccine doses were dispatched from Pune-based logistics firm Cool-X Cold Chain Serum Institute after offering prayers.
Under police protection, Covishield reached the Pune airport from the production center of vaccine, from where it will now be delivered to locations across the country. The Maharashtra government has decided to provide police protection to trucks carrying vaccines to airports and state borders.
#WATCH | First consignment of Covishield vaccine dispatched from Serum Institute of India's facility in Pune, Maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/QDiwLXka2g
— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2021
News agency ANI has also shared some photos and videos, in which the drivers of the trucks loaded with the vaccine are seen showing the victory sign. It can be seen in the pictures that when the consignment of the vaccine is about to leave, from the policemen present there, the other staff starts clapping, all showing the Victory sign and then after the worship of the truck, the consignment is sent to the airport.
The first consignment of the vaccine has been dispatched from the facility of Serum Institute of India here. We have made elaborate security arrangements: Namrata Patil, DCP (Zone 5), Pune https://t.co/yuh7UPAGtd pic.twitter.com/fhPzln7jd7
— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2021
Maharashtra: Three trucks loaded with Covishield vaccine leave for the airport from vaccine maker Serum Institute of India's facility in Pune. pic.twitter.com/S8oYq6mMgN
— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2021
Significantly, India has recently approved the manufacture of two vaccines for emergency use with restrictions in the country. These include a serum institute ‘Oxford Covishield’ and Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaxin’. According to the Ministry of Health, a person should take two doses of the vaccine in 28 days to complete the vaccination schedule. Then two weeks after taking the second dose, the protective level of the antibody usually develops.
