INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Hyderabad: 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 on Tuesday.Out of those 45 lakh doses, the city-based vaccine maker will be supplying over eight lakh doses of Covaxin to some
dispatching 20 lakh doses of the earlier order in a couple of days, from here."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 told reporters.After having received the
government purchase order for 55lakh doses, Bharat Biotech shipped the first batch of vaccines (each vial containing 20 doses) to Gannavaram
donated 16.5 Lakh doses to the union government.Sources further said the supplies from the company depend on the orders being placed by the
government."This is not like a regular tender where there are timelines to supply goods
The order will be dispatched in bits and pieces
It is not possible to dispatch all the doses in a single shot due to various reasons
The dispatches depend on the ministry's call," they said.Every fortnight, the Centre convenes a meeting through video conferencing with
the company promised to supply to various countries will be monitored through the Ministry of External Affairs," they added.The Central
Licensing Authority has granted permission for the sale or distribution of Covaxin for restricted use in emergency situations in public
interest as an abundant precaution, in clinical trial mode.Covaxin is India's totally indigenous COVID-19 vaccine developed in collaboration
Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) biocontainment facility, one of its kind in the world.
