India widens Covid-19 vaccine basket, Corbevax to be available as booster dose for all adults from THIS date

Hyderabad: A day after the government approved Biological E's Corbevax, the only heterologous Covid-19 vaccine is likely to be available as a booster shot for adults from Friday (August 12). 

Corbevax will be available through the COWIN App in both public and private vaccination centres from Friday. 

Those adults who got vaccinated with either Covaxin or Covishield will now be allowed to take the Corbevax dose, six months or 26 weeks after administration of the second dose.

The Union Health Ministry approved Corbevax for emergency use based on a recently made recommendation by the COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI). 

The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company (BE) has, so far, delivered 10 crore doses of Corbevax to the Centre.

Pan-India roll-out of the booster shot vaccine in children aged between 12 to 14 years was initiated on March 16, 2022. Almost 7 crore doses have been administered and 2.9 crore children completed their two-dose vaccination regimen.

BE`s Corbevax is the first Indian vaccine to be approved as a heterologous COVID-19 booster dose. 

The price of the vaccine is Rs 400, including taxes and administrative charges for the end-user,