About 30 crore people will be part of the first “wave” to get the Covid-19 vaccine in India. They consist of health care workers, police personnel, those above 50, and those younger with underlying illnesses that make them vulnerable, said Principal Scientific Adviser K. Vijay Raghavan.
Vijay Raghavan mentioned that the nationwide vaccine committee, headed by Dr. V.K. Paul had finalized a broad blueprint.
According to The Hindu report, “March to May” vaccines is more likely to be out there in important numbers and could be progressively rolled out over time, utilizing the nationwide immunization program.
“There are one crore health workers, frontline workers such as State and central police, armed forces, home guards, civil defense about 2 crores; priority groups above the age of 50 who have a sensitive immune system, and are prone to falling ill every now and then, and also those with cardiovascular disease and diabetes — that’s about 26 crore — and finally those below 50 with significant comorbidities, about 1 crore. So, that’s nearly 30 crores,” Vijay Raghavan mentioned.
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has asked states to prepare a detailed plan for decentralizing and distributing coronavirus vaccines for when it is made available to the public.
The Centre has asked states to arrange steering committees and block-wise process forces to arrange for the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines and disbursal. The directive comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice on the same to ease out the vaccine distribution process across the country
Vaccines might be out there after they move regulatory phases and it nonetheless wasn’t clear which vaccine candidates would move all of the required standards and by what date, Mr. Modi had mentioned at his assembly with chief ministers.
“It will be a large scale enterprise looking at the size of our country and keeping in mind our experience with large immunization campaigns, we want this to be a smooth exercise with great coordination with State governments, who are the best judge of how things are to be done in particular States,” he had mentioned.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has mentioned a Covid-19 vaccine was more likely to be out there by the primary quarter of 2021 and that the Centre estimates to obtain and utilize 40-50 crore doses protecting round 25 crore people by July subsequent 12 months.
A Scroll report has quoted Dr Harsh Vardhan as saying that no state will be given any preferential treatment, and the distribution of vaccines will be equitable. He also stated that healthcare workers will be the first ones to receive the vaccine.
India is currently testing three vaccines and they are in various stages of clinical trials. Vardhan said that the vaccine will be made available by February or March 2021. The Serum Institute of India conducting a phase-three trial of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine whereas the indigenously developed Bharat Biotech and ICMR vaccine have already begun the part III scientific trials.
An indigenously developed vaccine by Zydus Cadila had accomplished phase-2 scientific trial within the nation, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories could be starting mixed part 2 and three scientific trials of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine in India. Biological E. Ltd has begun early part 1 and a pair of human trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate.
