Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Friday that there has been no firm response from the Centre to the demand for uniform pricing of coronavirus vaccines. He also said that the Serum Institute of India has informed that it can provide Covishield vaccine to the state only after May 24 as the Centre has booked all the production till that date.

Tope was speaking to reporters after participating in a virtual meeting held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the states worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. "All the major states have demanded 'one nation-one rate'' for vaccine, but received no firm response from the centre," he said. "We have examples of Israel or the UK where vaccination was carried out at a large scale. If the rates are reduced, we could buy more vaccines," Tope said.