India’s coronavirus vaccination campaign started on January 16.
New Delhi:
People can choose between three or four coronavirus vaccines in a few weeks and choose which one to take with the government that expands the inoculation campaign and allows beneficiaries to choose their vaccination centers starting Monday, said the chief of the main Indian Institutes of Medical Sciences in Delhi. has told NDTV.
“In a few weeks from now, we may have three or four vaccines. You may not have all of them available in one center. One center will administer only one vaccine. But it is likely that in your area you will have more than one vaccine provided in different private hospitals and therefore indirectly can give you some option because you would know which vaccine is administered in which center. But you cannot go to a site and ask for one vaccine or another, “Dr. Randeep Guleria told NDTV on Saturday. .
The AIIMS chief said India urgently needed to increase vaccination and cases are increasing in six states.
“If we look at the number of people we have vaccinated, it is large but if we look at it in percentage terms, it is very low due to the population of our country and, therefore, we have to find a strategy in which we can increase it.” exponentially. I think that is what will happen if we open it to the private sector, “he said.
“If we can vaccinate a large number of people, we can not only reduce the cases, but also the most susceptible ones, reduce the rate of hospitalization and death,” said Dr. Guleria.
“When we started testing, it was first only done in government facilities, but with increasing need, the government capped the price and allowed private labs to do testing. Similarly, the vaccine is being rolled out. It is ensuring that it is done. with prudence. Those who really need to be vaccinated, get vaccinated. The cost has been touched to make it affordable, “he added.
The government said on Saturday that coronavirus vaccines will be capped at Rs 250 per injection in private hospitals and will be free in all hospitals and government centers when the campaign is expanded on Monday to cover those over 60 and those over the age of 60. 45 with diseases.
The inoculation campaign that began on January 16 has progressed more slowly than expected due to the reluctance of frontline and healthcare workers to take the homegrown COVAXIN injection that was approved with no late-stage efficacy data.
Only 11 percent of vaccinated people have opted for the product developed by Bharat Biotech and the state Indian Council for Medical Research, according to the Reuters news agency.
With the highest infection count in the world after the United States, India wants to vaccinate 30 of its 135 million people by August. The decision to give people the option of choosing centers, effectively allowing them to choose vaccines, could speed up deployment, officials believe.
Among the vaccines likely to be approved for use in the country are Russia’s Sputnik-V and Cadila Healthcare’s ZyCov-D.
.
