November 20, 2020 10:26:08 pm
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the review meeting (Twitter / @ narendramodi)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on Friday to review India’s strategy for vaccination against Covid-19 and its subsequent delivery and distribution. Important topics related to the progress of vaccine development, regulatory approvals, and procurement were also discussed.
Various topics were also discussed at the meeting, including prioritizing population groups, reaching out to healthcare workers, increasing cold chain infrastructure, adding vaccines, and a technology platform for vaccine deployment, Prime Minister Modi said.
A meeting was held to review India’s vaccination strategy and the way forward. Important topics related to the progress of vaccine development, regulatory approvals, and procurement were discussed. pic.twitter.com/nwZuoMFA0N
– Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 20, 2020
Earlier in the day, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that a digital platform used in the Universal Immunization Program was being repurposed to digitally track the movement of Covid-19 vaccine stocks, once available, and also track who will receive the injections, thus ensuring last-mile vaccine delivery.
The review meeting comes a day after Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla said the vaccine maker will likely run for India’s top drug regulator next month to eemergency approval for limited use of ‘Covishield‘in frontline workers and the elderly, and that the vaccine, once approved, could cost between Rs 500 and Rs 600 in the private market for the general public.
Covishield, which is being manufactured by SII under an agreement with Oxford-AstraZeneca, is the pioneer in India’s own race to find a vaccine to defeat the novel coronavirus.
Global companies Pfizer and Moderna have also released interim results from the late-stage trial of their Covid-19 mRNA vaccine candidates, indicating a 95 percent efficacy rate in volunteers with no prior Covid-19 infection. However, the doses of these vaccines will not. be available in quantities that can meet the immediate requirement of India. Meanwhile, the government has pinned its hopes on the five vaccine candidates being clinically tested here.
“Currently, phase 3 of the candidate vaccine tested by the Serum Institute is almost complete and follow-up is ongoing. Bharat Biotech has just started phase 3 testing; Zydus Cadila has completed phase 2 testing, and the Russian Sputnik -V being tested in collaboration with Dr. Reddy will begin phase two or three next week. Biological E is conducting an initial phase 1-2 trial, ”said NITI Aayog member Dr. VK Paul.
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