COVID-19 vaccine price comparison: How much does Covishield cost vs COVAXIN?

In a key development, India on April 19 liberalized the third phase of its COVID-19 vaccination drive to include all aged 18 and above. To meet the need for vaccination, the Centre has asked the vaccine manufacturing companies to scale up their production with the help of International as well as national players and has allowed them to supply 50 per cent of the produced doses to state and private hospitals directly, which means now the States and the private hospitals do not have to go through the entire process, and can directly get it from the manufacturers at the price declared by them. If you take any of the below-mentioned vaccines you should keep your vaccine certification handy, here's how to download the covid vaccination certificate. At present, India has in use two vaccines- Covaxin and Covishield, and will soon have the Sputnik V in the race. 

Comparison of Vaccines in India

Covaxin 

Developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, Covaxin is based on an inactivated whole SARS-CoV-2 virion. A virus's disease-producing capacity is inactivated in this method. It is a safe vaccine with mild to moderate symptoms, and as interim data, has an efficacy of 81 percent if the two doses are taken at an interval of 28 days. 

Price- Not yet decided.

Covishield

Manufactured by SII from Oxford AstraZeneca stable, Covishield is based on the viral vector platform. A chimpanzee adenovirus called ChAdOxy is the vector that has been modified to carry the coronavirus spike protein into human cells. It is a safe vaccine with mild-to-moderate symptoms and as per data, the efficacy of the vaccine depends on the interval between two doses. If taken at an interval of 12 weeks, data shows that the efficacy is 82.4 percent. 

Price- The Price of Covishield has been fixed at Rs 400 a shot for States and Rs 600 a shot for private hospitals. 

Sputnik V

Developed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Sputnik V uses two different vectors for the two shots during the course of the vaccination, guaranteeing immunity for a longer duration. It is safe, and as per day, has an efficacy of 91.6 percent. It is one of the three vaccines in the world with more than 90 percent efficacy.  

Price- The Price of Sputnik V in India has not yet been decided, but it costs approximately Rs 750 in other countries. 

It is pertinent to note here that while the Covaxin and Covishield are being produced at present, the production of Sputnik V, which recently got the nod from the Centre, has not yet commenced. The production is most likely to start by the end of April.