States may need Rs 30,000 cr to vaccinate 70% of those in 18-44 age group

Centre's support and private sector participation may relieve some of the load

Vaccinating 70 per cent of India’s youth and middle-aged working population may require financial resources worth Rs 30,000 crore or more, according to Business Standard calculations based on available data.
 
This calculation assumes the cost of one dose of a vaccine to be Rs 400, approximated on the price announced by the Serum Institute of India on Wednesday.  Other vaccines, such as Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, and those which will get clearance later during the year, are likely to cost more than this, according to the data available on their prices.
 
A vaccination strategy with a mix of all