After ten months of a global pandemic, the search for a “safe and effective” vaccine against the new coronavirus continues. The central government expects between 400 and 500 million doses of the vaccine to be available in India by the middle of next year. Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan met with a group of ministers on Tuesday to discuss the current national and international scenario for coronavirus vaccines. The strategies to be adopted to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine to people were also discussed at the meeting.
“Keeping pace close to the potential availability of the vaccine, an action plan has been discussed on which sections will be prioritized. Importantly, it would be monitored through a scientific approach,” said Harsh Vardhan. AND ME.
“For this, strategies that have been adopted by the world, be it the United States Center for Disease Control, are continuously being studied. Digital platforms are also being prepared for the same,” added the Minister of Health.
How to Implement COVID-19 Vaccine in India
The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration, headed by NITI Aayog member (health) Dr. VK Paul, is formulating strategies to plan how to implement vaccine distribution in the country. The high-level panel includes AIIMS Director Dr. Randeep Guleria, representatives from Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Biotechnology, Information Technology, Director General of Health Services, AIDS Research Institute of India , the Medical Research Council of India and also representatives of the states.
Dr. VK Paul presented a “comprehensive study on priority population sectors that would have initial access to the vaccine based on the recommendations of the CDC, US and WHO,” during Tuesday’s meeting, according to a statement. issued by the ministry of health. and family welfare.
“The eVIN network that can track the latest vaccine stock position, temperature in storage facilities, geotag health centers, and maintain facility-level dashboard is being reused for COVID vaccine delivery,” added the ministry.
The COVID-19 vaccine will first be made available to those who need it most, regardless of their ability to pay, the Minister of Health previously mentioned. The list of healthcare workers will be completed in late October or early November, Paul added.
“The task of identifying frontline workers, the recalibration of the digital platform, the logistics of supplies other than vaccines, the augmentation of the cold chain are being carried out according to the detailed implementation plan,” he added.
Three candidate vaccines are in different stages of clinical trials in the country. Developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited in conjunction with the Indian Council for Medical Research and the National Institute of Virology, Covaxin was India’s first indigenous vaccine candidate against the novel COVID-19. Covaxin is currently in phase II human trials in the country. ZyCoV-D, developed by Zydus Cadila, began its phase II clinical trials in August. The Pune-based drug maker Serum Institute of India recently began the latest advanced clinical trial of the vaccine conducted by the University of Oxford in the country.
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