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The Indian authorities have issued an emergency approval for two corona vaccines. One of the largest vaccination campaigns in the world is about to begin in the country of around 1.3 billion people.
By Bernd Musch-Borowska, ARD Studio New Delhi
In India, up to 300 million people are expected to be immunized against the coronavirus in the next six to eight months. Two vaccines received emergency approval from the regulatory authority in Delhi. On Saturday, a panel of experts recommended government approval, and now the Inspector General of Pharmaceutical Products, Venugopal Somani, has given the go-ahead.
“After careful examination, we accept the recommendations of the expert commission, which means that the so-called Oxford vaccine from Astra Zeneca and the vaccine from the Indian institute Bharat Biotech will be approved for use in emergencies,” Somani said. Doctors and medical personnel, as well as other so-called front-line workers, including police officers, are vaccinated against the pandemic. This was announced by the health minister of the capital Delhi, Satyander Jain.
Five million vaccinations in the first phase
“We are prepared to administer 100,000 vaccinations a day in Delhi. First, medical personnel are vaccinated, then other systemically important people, and then all people over 50 years of age or under with pre-existing diseases. More than five million people are on our list for the first time Vaccination phase ”, said the minister.
In test centers in Delhi and elsewhere, vaccination procedures were re-performed. To this end, the authorities rely on the cooperation already established between health authorities and non-governmental organizations, which has proven its effectiveness in other vaccination campaigns, for example against polio. Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said: “Trials were carried out in numerous districts in selected states. These included administration of the vaccine, but also issues of safety, transportation and storage.”
Two vaccines are still pending approval
The Indian Serum Institute, the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccination products, already has 50 million doses of Oxford vaccine in stock. Two other preparations are still pending approval, the Russian Sputnik V and the product developed by Biontech and Pfizer.
The approval of two coronavirus vaccines in India reinforces hopes that the pandemic will end soon. On New Year’s Day, thousands of people flocked to temples to pray for a healthy New Year; however, in many places, such as the golden temple of the Sikhs in Amritsar, without masks and without observing the rules of distance, as if the crown pandemic did not even exist. One of the believers puts his hopes in 2021: “I have come to pray that the Supreme Creator guides us until 2021. 2020 was not a good year, so we hope that we will catch the coronavirus in the new year.” Get rid of.
