Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the “world’s largest” vaccination campaign today as India’s is to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control with two locally-manufactured shot.
Via video conferencing PM Modi addressed the healthcare workers, but he said he himself would not take the vaccine immediately as the country is initially prioritizing nurses, doctors and others on the front line for vaccination.
On the very first day, around 100 people will be voluntarily vaccinated in each of the 3,006 centres in the country.
Dr. Neelam Mohan, the Director at Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, Medanta Medicity Hospital, Gurgaon shared her insights on the biggest vaccination drive with the readers of the HealthWire and said, “This is such a moment where I can easily say that this is a ‘sanjeevani’ 2021 run since we are gripped in the time of corona, and all of us have been talking nothing except vaccination.”
Dr. Neelam herself got a shot of the vaccine today;:
Picture Bholti hai 👍💕… excited to be amongst the first few in #India to receive #Covid vaccine shot made in India Thanks to the stupendous work of scientists supported by @PMOIndia Awesome arrangements indeed at @medanta @drbips @MoHFW_INDIA pic.twitter.com/oLvh0kyci6
— Dr Neelam mohan (@DrNeelam31) January 16, 2021
“Lot of thoughts is going into people’s mind about the vaccines that is it going to be effective or is it going to be safe? Well, really like to appreciate and salute to all the scientists who really worked and the amount of support that the government gave for expediting this work is also commendable,” she added.
Dr. Mohan’s Insights on vaccine efficacy:
Dr. Mohan said, “From the safety point of view I would like to say, the vaccines went through phase I, phase II and phase III trials, so we should be rest assured about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines. The team behind COVID Vaccine are very confident that there’s no significant side effect’
“However, we cannot say that there be no side effects at all. Symptoms like fever, body aches can happen. From the safety point of view let’s celebrate today as the ‘Sanjeevani 2021’, explains Dr. Mohan.
SII has submitted safety, immunogenicity and efficacy data produced from overseas clinical trials on 23,745 participants aged 18 years or older. Data from Phase 2/3 clinical trials on 1,000 participants were also submitted within the country and were found to be comparable with data from overseas clinical trials, said Dr. Mohan.
Dr. Mohan added, Covaxin from Bharat Biotech is healthy and offers a strong immune response. In India, the vaccine has yet to complete late-stage human clinical trials and no efficacy rate has yet been disclosed.
Approximately 800 subjects attended Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials and the results showed that the vaccine is safe and provides a robust immune response.
The Phase 3 efficacy research was launched on 25,800 volunteers in India and approximately 22,500 participants have been vaccinated nationally to date, and the vaccine has been found to be safe.
Message to people on the false rumours about the vaccine and Doctors contribution:
Dr. Mohan says, “All the credits should be given to the scientists who worked day and night and the approval to the vaccine is being given by the expert teams, so the public needs to be clear that the vaccines went in through all the trial phases how the scientist wants to be.”
There are various types of vaccines that are available, and the first jab is being given to the doctors and the health care workers so the public should get an indirect confidence that the doctors are taking it on themselves. Therefore this is another applause that the medical fraternity should get, she added.