Updated: November 24, 2020 7:46:11 am
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Image Source: PIB)
Ahead of a crucial meeting on vaccine administration that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold on Tuesday morning with senior ministers, top government sources told The Indian Express that a crore of health workers from first line to receive the first dose of the vaccine that is available against the novel. coronavirus infection early next year.
The sources, who are part of the group of experts on vaccine administration, said they have “advanced at an advanced stage” in creating a database for the first priority group, the “front-line health workers” , who will receive the first dose during the immunization campaign. as long as the Indian regulator authorizes a particular vaccine for commercial use.
“We have received a substantial response from the states. 92% of all government hospitals in all states have provided data. About 56 percent of private sector hospitals have provided data. We are in an advanced stage, ”said an important government source.
“What has emerged is that the whole pool (of frontline healthcare workers) is about 1 crore,” the source said.
The creation of a database on healthcare and frontline workers, a process now in the final stages, anticipates Prime Minister Modi’s detailed engagement with senior ministers on the administration of vaccines on Tuesday. morning. NITI Aayog member Dr. VK Paul and Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, both co-chairs of the expert group, are expected to make a detailed presentation at the meeting, senior officials confirmed.
The backend preparation for the largest immunization campaign also comes at a time when the Center expects to receive and use 400-500 million doses and cover approximately 20-25 crore of people by July 2021.
In establishing the sequence of distribution of Covid vaccines expected to be available in India, the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said in October that the first priority would be for those facing occupational risks from the virus. and the risk of exposure, indicating that Frontline healthcare professionals would be among the first recipients.
Sources said state governments have also provided “granular” details on frontline healthcare workers in different categories, including “allopathic physicians, AYUSH physicians; nurses deployed to hospitals, ASHA workers (accredited social health activists) and ANM (nurse midwives) ”.
“However, within the main group, there is no more priority. Once we start immunizing frontline healthcare workers, we will do so for the entire 1 crore population, from start to finish, ”said a source.
Medical students and nursing students and faculty members will also participate in the training and implementation of the immunization program.
Over the past week, the Prime Minister was briefed on the preparations, including that the digital platform for vaccine administration and distribution has been prepared and that trials are being conducted in partnership with stakeholders at the state and district levels.
Currently, five vaccine candidates are in advanced stages of development in India and one is in the early stages. While registration for Phase 3 of the Serum Institute-tested Oxford candidate vaccine is complete, Bharat Biotech has just started Phase 3 testing and Zydus Cadila has completed Phase 2 testing. Russia’s Sputnik-V, which being tested in collaboration with Dr. Reddy, Phase 2-3 testing has begun. Biological E is conducting an initial phase 1-2 trial.
The sources said that details about the increase in cold chains and the acquisition of syringes and needles were also discussed during the meeting. “Of the 28,000 existing cold storage points, we have added 1,000 more points within the government facility itself. We are also acquiring additional refrigerators, refrigerators and freezers, “the sources said.
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