More excellent news for children's immunisation comes only a day after Bharat Biotech's Covaxin was authorised for emergency use in children aged 2 to 18. According to top government sources mentioned in a report by news agency Asian News International, a total of 60 lakh doses of Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D vaccine are available following manufacturing in October (ANI). On August 20, Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D was authorised for emergency usage. The vaccine is a three-dose needle-free plasmid DNA vaccination against Covid-19.

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According to news agency ANI, India would have a vaccination capacity of 28 crore doses in October, comprising 22 crore doses of Covishield and six crore doses of Covaxin. The national government intends to reach 100 crore doses by October 18. The union health ministry wants to commemorate the day with events around the country. Previously, about 1.5 lakh doses of ZyCoV-D passed the quality test at Himachal Pradesh's Central Drugs Laboratory in Kasauli. The government is negotiating a lower price for the vaccine, which producers have estimated at Rs 1,800 to 1,900 per dosage.

Also Read | Covaxin gets approval for children between 2-18 years

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According to the authorities, this is on the high side for a three-dose vaccination. The cost of the ZyCov-D vaccine is expensive due to its sophisticated gun and applicator system. According to previous predictions, the first one million doses of ZyCov-D will be accessible this month. The vaccination would be the first to be delivered to youngsters aged 12 to 18 in India. According to the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization, the Covid working group favours commencing inoculations for youngsters, and information on co-morbidities and beneficiary prioritisation in teenagers will be revealed soon, according to government sources.

Also Read | US pharmaceutical giant Merck applies for emergency use authorization for first COVID-19 pill

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