Updated: December 9, 2020 10:03:07 am
At the Serum Institute of India on Monday. (Photo: Reuters)
One crore of health workers, two crore of frontline workers, including the police and armed forces, and around 27 crore of people over 50 and under 50 with associated comorbidities: these are the three groups that should be vaccinated simultaneously with priority. depending on the availability of a vaccine, a high-level expert committee has recommended it to the government. “All Indians who need to be vaccinated will be vaccinated,” said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, who co-chairs the National Group of Experts on Covid-19 Vaccine Administration (NEGVAC), speaking of the recommendations.
NEGVAC President VK Paul said a proposal to include teachers in the priority group is under consideration.
Outlining preparations regarding the launch of a Covid-19 vaccine, which is expected early next year, Bhushan said the Center will make the final decision on who will be given priority based on the committee’s recommendations. “We believe that in the initial phase, perhaps in the first month, the arrival of the vaccine will be limited. However, in the following months it will increase. Therefore, all the different priority groups can be vaccinated together, ”said the Secretary of Health.
Read also | The first details of the Covid-19 immunization emerge: injections in batches of 100 people; 30 minutes each
He added: “There are two important things. First, that these are only NEGVAC recommendations, and that the government has yet to make a decision. Second, this is not sequential (vaccination of priority groups). Whenever immunization begins, it can also occur simultaneously depending on the availability of the vaccine. “
Bharat Biotech developed Covaxin in collaboration with ICMR-National Institute of Virology.
On NEGVAC’s recommendations, Bhushan said: “First, he recommended that the priority group should include healthcare providers and workers, both from the government and the private sector. Our estimate is that this number is around a crore … Second, priority should be given to frontline workers; This group will include the central and state police department, the armed forces, the domestic guard, civil defense organizations, including disaster management volunteers, and municipal workers. This group is estimated to be around 2 million rupees. “
The Secretary of Health said that the third recommendation of the expert committee is “that there should be priority groups stratified by age” of approximately 27 million people. “The prioritized age group includes people over 50 and people under 50 years associated with comorbidities.”
Read also | Government: Will Balance Risk and Benefit of Vaccine Approval
Bhushan said the Center will start providing additional cold storage equipment to states from December 10. “Currently, in India, there are 85,634 vaccine storage kits at approximately 28,947 points in the cold chain. The current cold chain is capable of storing a Covid-19 vaccine needed for the first three crore, that is, frontline and healthcare workers. We have already evaluated the additional requirement for cold chain storage after consulting the states. We are in the process of acquiring and supplying them. The first supply of such additional equipment will begin on December 10. “
Bhushan said 1.54 lakh vaccines will be used for the campaign. “We have about 2.3 lakh of trained vaccinators across the country. However, our priority is also that routine health care, including routine immunization, is not affected. Therefore, we will only use 1.54 lakh of ANM (auxiliary nurse midwives) for the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, ”he said.
Explained: Emergency approval in India
“In terms of preparation for implementation, the additional purchase of syringes and needles has been estimated and this process is on the right track. Standard operating procedures on implementation have been shared with states. We are receiving your comments and will soon finalize them. The training material is in digital format and has also been finalized. In the next few days, we will finalize the detailed implementation plan after discussing it with the states, ”Bhushan said.
The Secretary of Health emphasized that the states and the Center will develop a communication strategy on the vaccination campaign. “The most important thing is that there must be transparent, effective and sustained communication about the vaccination campaign. Good communication with people is essential. We have to explain to people about the implementation. We also have to prepare people to accept some adverse effects as with all vaccines; we have to tell people what the government will do in terms of reporting adverse events, “he said.
“The government will face some challenges. There could be disinformation campaigns. There could be rumors about the quality, safety and efficacy of vaccines. It will be important to spread correct information to the population, ”Bhushan said.
Read also | Lancet Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine Trial Results: ‘Safe, Protects Against Disease’
During the weekly briefing, Bhushan also confirmed that state working groups, which will coordinate the administration of vaccines, have started meeting. “All the states have formed the working groups and the meetings have started; All district task force and block task force meetings will be held by December 12 and 15, respectively. These bodies will meet periodically. “
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
.
