The Union government will consider a plan to allow companies, especially large ones in strategically important businesses, to strike direct agreements with Covid-19 vaccine developers to secure doses for their employees, officials familiar with the matter said, detailing the current thinking in political circles. about the country’s vaccination plan.
The officials, who asked not to be named, added that much of India’s vaccination plan will be financed by the state and will cost around 50 billion rupees; They also confirmed what most experts and analysts have been saying: that not everyone in India will be able to have a chance in 2021.
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Officials explained that the plan to allow companies to secure vaccine doses is being considered because the government wants to make sure there are no disruptions to key economic activities.
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The proposal, they emphasized, must be approved by the Prime Minister’s Office.
If approved, this special window for India Inc will be available in an otherwise closely supervised vaccine program with limited supplies and clear priorities: healthcare workers, patients with comorbidities and the elderly population can receive an injection first. .
A separate channel for India’s major industries is as critical as the country struggles to boost its economy after Q1 domestic production contracted 23.9%, raising questions about Covid’s management and economy by the Modi government. The Center has so far declared four stages of gradual “unlocking” before announcing the “reopening” of activities on October 1. But while all industries have reopened, many are working below capacity due to lower demand.
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To be sure, authorities have yet to answer the question about which companies will be eligible to buy directly from vaccine makers, but officials hinted that those in key sectors such as oil, steel, pharmacy, cement and charcoal could be allowed. This will also reduce the financial pressure on the Center. “The use of vaccines will be under the general and centralized control of the Union government and the Center will also collect and store data on vaccines,” said an official.
The government is rolling out logistics and infrastructure across India for a possible vaccine launch early next year. It is in contact with states, potential vaccine manufacturers, and other stakeholders to come up with a distribution and administration plan for Covid vaccines. The challenge is that many of them will have to be transported frozen; and the others will require refrigeration.
British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and Oxford University Candidate, co-produced in India by the Serum Institute of India, is in the third phase of trails. Indian drug maker Zydus Cadila launched phase 2 trials for Covid vaccines on August 6. Another national pharmaceutical company, Bharat Biotech, started its phase 2 trials from September.
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The expert group on a Covid-19 vaccine, headed by Niti Aayog (health) member Dr. VK Paul and co-chaired by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, is also closely following vaccine development programs. in the US, Russia, Israel, and Germany.
Moderna and Novavax from the US, German company BioNTech (with Pfizer and Fosun Pharma), pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and two Chinese drug farms are in phase 3 trials and competing to launch the coveted vaccine. Russia’s Sputnik V and Chinese Sinovac have already obtained emergency approvals for limited use in their respective countries.
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