Government identifies 30 million rupees to receive vaccine with priority

: As the world prepares for a Covid-19 vaccine, India has begun to identify around 30 million priority beneficiaries, including the high-risk population and first responders, from healthcare workers to police, workers sanitation workers, as well as the elderly and people with comorbidities, who will likely receive an estimated vaccine dose of 60 crore.

The injections, which include the booster dose, are planned for the initial phase once a vaccine is approved for use. The list has four categories: around 50-70 lakh from health professionals, more than two crore from frontline workers, including police, municipal workers and armed forces, around 26 crore from people over 50 and other group less than 50 years old but with comorbidities. .

Currently, there are three vaccine candidates undergoing human trials in India. Of these, the Oxford-AstraZeneca candidate is in the most advanced stage of Phase 3 and the Pune-based Serum Institute is conducting trials in India. The government recently said that its Phase 3 data will be available around late November or early December.

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The draft of the implementation plan prepared by the national group of experts in vaccine administration for Covid-19 has worked on the inputs received by central agencies and states. The group, led by Niti Aayog member Dr. VK Paul and co-chaired by the Secretary of Health Rajesh Bhushan, has studied the allocations for early-stage vaccines proposed by the CDC, Atlanta, and WHO, while outlining India’s framework for equitable and needs-based access. The plan aims to cover more than 23% of the population in the first phase and was discussed at a meeting of the group of ministers on Covid-19 headed by the Union’s health minister, Harsh Vardhan, earlier this week. .

Will need doses of 600 million for priority groups: Official

According to the draft plan, the expert committee has estimated a 70 lakh health care workforce from the government and private sector. This includes 11 lakh from MBBS doctors and 8 lakh from Ayush practitioners; 15 lakh for nurses, 7 lakh for ANM and 10 lakh for ASHA workers. The list includes 7-8 lakh allied health professionals and others, such as sanitation workers, ambulance workers and hospital security. “We are in the process of identifying these beneficiaries and the final list will be ready by late October or early November,” an official told TOI.

The draft plan also includes more than 2 million frontline workers, including 45 lakh from police and related forces at the central and state level, along with domestic guards and 15 lakh from people from the armed forces. In addition, 1.5 million municipal workers and frontline teams involved in community services, such as public transport drivers, cleaners and teachers, have also been identified.

An estimated 26 million people are over the age of 50, and younger people with conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, chronic kidney failure, lung disease, cancer and liver disease are also being identified for priority vaccination.

“Considering the overlaps in certain categories, we have estimated that initially a total of 550-600 million doses of the vaccine will be needed for the priority population,” said an official.

Public health experts said the move is timely, even as they seek to have the plan made public for consultation. “The government must put the allocation framework criteria in the public domain to ensure there is transparency. There is enough time to consult on the subject ”, he says Anant Bhan, researcher in global health, bioethics and health policy.

The proposal also includes a plan to track the latest vaccine stock position, the temperature in storage facilities, geotag health centers and maintain the dashboard at the facility level for delivery across India.