Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Sunday the government is reflecting on plans to roll out the country’s first Covid-19 vaccine by prioritizing target groups across the population. He clarified that covid vaccine supplies are anticipated to be available in limited quantities at first.
“In a huge country like India, it is essential to prioritize the delivery of vaccines based on various factors such as risk of exposure, comorbidity among various population groups, the mortality rate among COVID cases and several others,” said the minister. Health in his fifth episode of Sunday Samvaad while interacting and answering questions on social networks.
Vardhan also added that India is looking at the availability of several different types of vaccines, some of which may be suitable for a particular age group, while others may not be.
Reiterating that the most important component of planning is the cold chain and other logistical aspects that must be properly planned to ensure that vaccine delivery failures do not occur even in the last mile, Vardhan highlighted the need for the mass promotion necessary to create community awareness activities. understand the reasons for vaccine concerns and address them appropriately.
Denying rumors that the Government prioritizes the youth and the working class for the COVID-19 vaccine for economic reasons, the union minister said, “Group prioritization for the COVID-19 vaccine will be based on two key considerations: Occupational risk and risk of exposure to infections and the risk of developing severe disease and increased mortality. “
Regarding the ongoing clinical trials of the various covid-9 vaccine candidates in the country, Vardhan explained that Phase I trials are conducted primarily to establish product safety; Phase II trials measure immunogenicity as the primary endpoint and safety as the secondary endpoint; In phase III clinical trials, both safety and immunogenicity continue to be measured as secondary endpoints; with efficacy being the primary endpoint for this phase of a clinical trial.
On the issue of ‘Emergency Use Authorization’ of COVID vaccines in India, the minister said the issue is currently being deliberated. “Adequate safety and efficacy data are required for the approval of the emergency use authorization vaccine to ensure patient safety. The further course of action will depend on the data generated, “he added.
Vardhan reported that the COVID-19 vaccines currently being tested in India are two- and three-dose vaccines.
The Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech vaccine requires two doses, while the Cadila Healthcare vaccine requires three doses. For other vaccines in preclinical stages, the dosage is being tested, he explained.
On the need to include other novel candidates such as the COVID vaccine, he said: “Considering the large size of India’s population, a single vaccine or vaccine manufacturer will not be able to meet the requirements to vaccinate the entire country. Therefore, we are open to assessing the feasibility of introducing various COVID-19 vaccines into the country based on their availability to the Indian population. ”
Sharing his views on the public-private partnership during the pandemic, Dr Harsh Vardhan further said that the current situation calls for multiple vaccine partners to ensure maximum vaccination coverage to the Indian population and that the use of a single A particular company’s vaccine should not be viewed through a negative lens.
Apart from this, Vardhan, during their interaction, also said that the launch of the faster and cheaper Feluda Covid-19 test will happen in the near future.
“Based on tests on more than 2,000 patients during trials at the Institute for Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) and on tests in private laboratories, the test showed a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 98%. This compares favorably with current ICMR -Kit PCR RT acceptance criteria of at least 95% sensitivity and at least 99% specificity, “said Vardhan.
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