# Vaccine registrations

• Vaccine registrations for those aged 18-44 began on wednesday with several people able to enrol after some glitches, but unable to get appointments at hospitals for vaccination.

• The centre will continue to provide vaccines to the states and vaccinate for free those above 45.

# Covishield

• The pune based Serum institute of India on wednesday announced that it was reducing the price of its covishield vaccine for the states from 400/dose to 300/dose as a philanthropic gesture.

• This will save thousands of crores of state funds going forward.

• The SII had earlier said its per dose price of covishield was 150 for the centre, 400 for the states and 600 for private hospitals.

# Kerela vaccine purchase

• Kerela will purchase one crore doses of covid-19 vaccines from two manufacturers for the 18-45 years age group.

• A cabinet meeting chaired by CM Pinarayi Vijayan on wednesday took the decision. The vaccines will cost 483 crores.

• Kerela government will buy 70 lakh covishield and 30 lakh covaxin doses.

# Covaxin

• A study had found that people who have been vaccinated with covaxin have protection against the double mutant variant (B.1.617) first found in India.

• A preprint of the study carried out by ICMR and Bharat biotech researchers has been posted in Biorxiv.

• So far, 21 countries have detected the B.1.617 variant.

# Supply chain resilience

• The supply chain resilience initiative (SCR) formally launched on tuesday by the trade ministers of India, Japan and Australia.

• China’s foreign ministry on wednesday described the move as unrealistic.