Harsh Vardhan said that “the authorization of emergency use for the COVID-19 vaccine will depend on data from clinical trials.”
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday that his ministry will soon launch the FELUDA paper strip test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. This has been developed by CSIR-IGIB and has been approved by the Comptroller General of Drugs of India for a commercial release. He added that the test showed a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 98%.
“This compares favorably with the current ICMR RT-PCR kit acceptance criteria of at least 95% sensitivity and at least 99% specificity,” said Dr. Vardhan, adding that “it is not yet known. you can specify an exact date on availability. “
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Talking about the COVID-19 vaccine in his weekly interaction on social media Sunday Samvaad, the minister said supplies are initially expected to be available in limited quantities.
“In a huge country like India, it is essential to prioritize the delivery of vaccines based on various factors such as the risk of exposure, comorbidity among various population groups, the mortality rate among COVID cases …”, he said.
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The minister added that India is looking at the availability of several different types of vaccines, some of which may be suitable for a particular age group, while others may not be.
In categorically denying rumors that the government prioritizes the youth and working class for the vaccine for economic reasons, Dr. Vardhan said: “The group prioritization for the COVID-19 vaccine will be based on two key considerations: danger. occupational and risk of exposure to infection and the risk of developing severe disease and increased mortality. “
Also read: Coronavirus | Caring for the elderly is a priority, says Harsh Vardhan
On the issue of the authorization of emergency use of vaccines, the Minister said that the issue is currently being discussed and that “adequate data on safety and efficacy are required for the authorization of emergency use of the vaccine to guarantee the patient safety. The further course of action will depend on the data generated. “
He reported that the COVID-19 vaccines currently being tested in India are 2- and 3-dose vaccines. The Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech vaccine requires 2 doses, while the Cadila Healthcare vaccine requires 3 doses. For other vaccines in preclinical stages, the dosage is being tested, he said.
On the need to include other novel candidates such as the COVID vaccine, Dr. Vardhan said: “Considering the large size of the Indian population, a vaccine or a vaccine manufacturer will not be able to meet the requirements to vaccinate all the country. Therefore, we are open to evaluating the feasibility of introducing various COVID-19 vaccines in the country based on their availability to the Indian population. “
On reinfection, the minister said that although there are sporadic reports of reinfection in several states, a careful analysis of the ICMR database reveals that many of these cases have actually been wrongly classified as reinfections.
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He added that it is very important to differentiate mislabeled reinfection from actual reinfection. “A real reinfection would mean that a fully recovered person would be infected by a virus recently introduced into their body, belonging to the same or different strain. ICMR is commissioning a study to understand the true burden of reinfected cases. The results will be shared in a couple of weeks, ”he said.
Dr. Vardhan pointed out that so far, in the first phase, the central government has released ₹ 3,000 crore to states and UT to combat the pandemic.
“Almost all but three states / UTs have used the full grant awarded to them: Maharashtra has only used 42.5% of the grant, followed by Chandigarh with 47.8% and Delhi with 75.4 %”, He said.
Also read: The battle against COVID-19 is still far from over: Harsh Vardhan
Responding to criticism surrounding the efficacy of AYUSH formulations in treating COVID-19, Dr. Vardhan said: “The combination of Guduchi, Ashwagandha, Guduchi & Pippali, and AYUSH 64 have a substantial number of studies testing its immunomodulation, antiviral, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. These interventions have also shown good binding affinity with the COVID-19 virus in in-silico studies.”
He also said that scientific studies have been initiated with the aforementioned remedies to evaluate their impact on the prophylaxis, secondary prevention and case management of COVID-19 on the recommendations of the Interdisciplinary Working Group established by the government.
Speaking about the benefits of the Ayurvedic formulation chyawanprash, Dr. Vardhan said that information available through clinical studies has shown that people who consume chyawanprash regularly for a defined period of time show an improvement in overall health and fitness. immunity and while sugar is an essential component, customers can opt for sugar-free versions on the market.
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