Transportation of 56.5 lakh vaccine doses started from Pune to 13 locations across India

Ahead of the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive scheduled to start from January 16, vaccine transportation has started from Pune to 13 locations across the country, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

In a series of tweets, the Minister said 56.5 lakh doses of vaccines are being transported to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Chandigarh, from Pune.

"Civil aviation sector launches yet another momentous mission. Vaccine movement starts. First two flights operated by SpiceJet and GoAir from Pune to Delhi and Chennai have taken off," he tweeted.

"Today Air India, SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo will operate nine flights from Pune with 56.5 lakh doses to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Chandigarh," Puri added.

Earlier today, amid tight security, three trucks carrying the very first consignment of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine reached Pune airport to be flown to 13 locations across the country.

Serum Institute of India (SII) has received a purchase order from the Government of India for 11 million doses of Covishield vaccine, which would be available at the price of Rs 200 per dose, SII officials had said on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said around 3 crore healthcare workers and frontline workers will be vaccinated in the first phase of vaccination. "In the second phase, those above 50 years and those under 50 years with co-morbid conditions will be vaccinated," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )