Updated: October 4, 2020 4:10:40 pm
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan during ‘Sunday Samvaad’, an interaction with his followers on social media.
The Center estimates to receive and use doses of 40 to 50 crore of the COVID-19 vaccine covering 20 to 25 crore of people by July next year and is preparing a format for states to submit their list of groups by the end of October priority population to receive the vaccine, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday.
He said healthcare workers involved in managing COVID-19 will be given priority to receive the vaccine.
During an interaction with his social media followers on the ‘Sunday Samvad’ platform, he said that a group of high-level experts is analyzing all aspects of vaccines and the Ministry of Health is preparing a format in which states will present lists of priority population groups.
The roster of frontline healthcare workers will include physicians, nurses, paramedics, healthcare personnel, ASHA workers, surveillance officers, and many other occupational categories involved in tracking, testing, and treating patients, both government and from the private sector.
This exercise is expected to be completed by the end of October and states are being closely guided to also submit details on cold chain facilities and other related infrastructure that will be required down to the block level, the minister said.
“The Center is also working on plans to develop capacities in human resources, training, supervision and others on a massive scale and estimates approximately receiving and using 400-500 million doses that will cover approximately 20-25 crore of people by July 2021. All of this is in various stages of completion, ”Vardhan said.
In addition, he informed his audience that the government is also keeping an eye on immunity data related to COVID-19 disease while finalizing these plans.
“Our government works around the clock to ensure that there is a fair and equitable distribution of vaccines, once they are ready. Our top priority is how to guarantee a vaccine for each and every person in the country, ”said Vardhan.
The minister stated that a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Niti Aayog (Health) member Dr. VK Paul is working out the whole process.
Procurement of vaccines is done centrally and each shipment will be tracked in real time until delivery to ensure it reaches those who need it most, he said.
The Union health minister added that the panel is working to understand the timelines of availability of various vaccines in the country, obtain commitments from vaccine manufacturers to make available the maximum number of doses for the Indian inventory and the management of the supply chain and also in the prioritization of high-risk groups. .
“This is a work in progress that will be completed when the vaccines are ready to ensure the rapid implementation of an immunization program.”
Assuring a social media follower that there will be no diversion or black marketing of the vaccine, Vardhan said: “Vaccines will be distributed on a predetermined priority and on a scheduled basis. To ensure transparency and accountability, the details of the entire process will be shared in the coming months. “
He emphasized the need to prioritize healthcare workers and adults or those with underlying health conditions.
Asked about Russia’s ‘Sputnik-V’ vaccine phase three clinical trial in India, Vardhan clarified that the matter was still under consideration and a decision had not yet been made.
To another question, he replied that it is not possible to comment on the superiority of one vaccine over the other, but said: “Even if we have several vaccines available, they will all be safe and will elicit the necessary immune response against the new coronavirus. “
He said that all vaccines that have been shown to be safe, immunogenic and effective in clinical trials outside of India need to undergo bridging studies to demonstrate their safety and immunogenicity also in the Indian population, although these studies can be done with a much larger sample size. small and finish quickly.
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