This is the second meeting chaired by PM Modi in the last 48 hours on the deployment of the Covid vaccine (Archive)
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on Saturday to review arrangements for the delivery and distribution of a coronavirus vaccine, when one becomes available. The Prime Minister called for “rapid access” to the vaccine for all members of the population and ordered officials to take into account the “geographic extent and diversity of the country” when planning logistics.
According to a government statement, the Prime Minister said that each step of the process should be rigorously tested and should include planning for cold storage of vaccine doses, mechanisms for monitoring vaccination clinics, and preparation and storage of ancillary equipment. like syringes.
A National Group of Experts on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) is working in consultation with states and UT, as well as all relevant stakeholders, to prepare a detailed plan for the storage, distribution and administration of the vaccine. Covid, the government said. .
The Prime Minister noted the conduct of India’s national elections and disaster management programs and suggested that officials apply what they have learned to plan vaccine distribution.
Earlier this month, Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, who attended today’s meeting along with senior government officials, said the government planned to vaccinate around 25 million people, mainly health workers from first line, by July 2021.
This is the second such meeting that the Prime Minister has led in the last 48 hours and comes after the Health Ministry reported this morning of an “unprecedented” achievement: that active Covid cases in the country fell. below eight lakhs for the first time in 46 days.
India has recorded more than 74 lakh of Covid cases since the pandemic began in China in December last year.
The country continues to register tens of thousands of new cases per day: more than 62,000 were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health. However, the number of people who recovered from the infection was higher: more than 70,000.
The Prime Minister also focused on vaccine delivery at Thursday’s meeting, taking stock of mechanisms for proper procurement and technologies for vaccine dose storage.
Three potential vaccines are in advanced stages of development in India, of which two are in Phase II and the other, Covishield, which was jointly developed by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, is in Phase III. .
Last month, hospitals in Mumbai and Pune began advanced human trials of Covishield, which (if proven successful) will be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume.
At today’s meeting, the Prime Minister also called on the people to maintain social distancing and practice restraint, especially during the upcoming holiday season, an appeal also made by Dr. Harsh Vardhan. He also cautioned against complacency as the number of cases begins to decline.
India has registered more than 74 lakh of Covid cases since the Wuhan pandemic began in China in December last year. Of these, 1.13 lakh are virus-related deaths and about 65.2 lakh are recoveries.
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