Even before D-Day for vaccinations against COVID-19 dawned, health care experts had demanded that the vaccines be priced at an affordable rate for the common man. They have also asked the government to be vigilant about black marketing and fake vaccines. The state government has requested the centre to provide the vaccines free of cost to those who come from the poorer sections of society. During the initial months of the SARS-CoV2 - COVID-19 pandemic, certain medicines were sold in the black market for as much as ' 80,000.

Dr Ketan Vagholkar, professor of surgery at D Y Patil Medical College, said, “The vaccine must be subsidised so that no section of society is denied it. If the vaccine is  affordable it will be easily administered to large families especially in the economically under privileged sections. The second issue which needs to be addressed is adequate availability and accessibility of the vaccine in all regions, unlike that for remdesivir. Regulatory authorities also need to monitor that only genuine vaccines are administered and duplication is strictly avoided.”