Pune: Dispatch Of Corona Vaccine Covishield Begins From Pune Airport
Sushant Ranjan
Pune, January 12, 2021: The first consignment of Corona Vaccine Covishield, produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), has been dispatched. Pune police provided adequate security arrangements from SII facility in Hadapsar to the airport.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5) Namrata Patil said that the first consignment has been dispatched under tight security.
According to officials, the consignment of the Covishield vaccine in three trucks was transported to Pune International Airport. They are being delivered to various parts of the country from the airport today. The vaccination will start on 16 January across the country for frontline healthcare workers.
Sandeep Bhosle, MD, SB Logistics, the company responsible for dispatching the vaccine consignment, said that today, the Corona vaccine will be sent from Pune airport to 13 locations in the country by eight aircraft. The first plane will leave for Delhi.
The officials said that 478 boxes have reached the airport, which are being sent to 13 cities across the country. In the first phase, the vaccine has been delivered to Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Karnal, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guwahati, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar. Each box weight is around 32 kg.
The first batch of ‘Covishield’ vaccine was to be airlifted on Thursday night. However, the manufacturer Serum Institute of India was waiting for an official order from the central government. The government placed an order yesterday and the dispatch began early morning today. Each dose of the vaccine will cost Rs 200.
