Centre issues Letter of Comfort to Bharat Biotech for 45 lakh doses of Covaxin
Bharat Biotech has secured a fresh Letter of Comfort from the Centre for another 45 lakh doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, Covaxin, sources said. Out of the 45 lakh doses, the city-based vaccine maker will be supplying over eight lakh to some of the friendly countries such as Mauritius, Philippines and Myanmar, free of cost as goodwill gesture sources added.
"The company was given a fresh letter of comfort recently for supplying another 45 lakh doses of Covaxin. The doses will be dispatched as when the Ministry places orders with the company," sources said.
After having received the government purchase order for 55 lakh doses, BharatBiotechshipped the first batch of vaccines (each vial containing 20 doses) to Gannavaram (Vijayawada), Guwahati, Patna, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Bangalore, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Chennai and Lucknow, it said.
Bharat Biotech said it has also donated 16.5 lakh doses to the Government of India.
Sources further said the supplies from the company depend on the orders being placed by the government.
Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech's fact sheet on COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin has advised pregnant or breastfeeding women, besides people with high fever or bleeding disorders, not to take the antidote.
The vaccine maker in the fact sheet on Covaxin, posted on its website, said the clinical efficacy of the vaccine is yet to be established and is being studied in Phase 3 clinical trial and hence it is important to appreciate that receiving the vaccine does not mean other precautions related to COVID-19 need not be followed.
(With PTI inputs)
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