Coronavirus vaccination may start in January, says Health Minister
India may begin vaccinating people against coronavirus in January, Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday, giving hope to a country that has lost more than a lakh to the fatal disease. In an interview, the BJP leader said the government is concerned about the vaccine's efficacy and safety. Currently, the drug regulator is analyzing vaccines that have sought emergency use authorization.
DCGI asked companies to give more information
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) is looking into the applications sent by Bharat Biotech, which is developing the vaccine along with ICMR; US-based Pfizer, whose vaccine is being administered in the United States; and Serum Institute of India (SII), which has collaborated with Oxford-AstraZeneca to produce mass doses of their vaccine. Last week, DCGI had asked for more information from these companies.
India is not lagging behind in research, claimed minister
Despite DCGI seeking more data, the timeline of vaccine roll-out is likely to be not affected. Speaking on the matter, Dr. Harsh Vardhan claimed that India is not behind any country in terms of research. "Our priority has been the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. We do not want any compromise on that. Our regulators are analyzing them with seriousness," he said.
Perhaps next month India will start inoculating citizens
"I personally feel may be in January in any stage or any week, there can be a time when we can be in a position to give the first COVID-19 vaccine shot to the people of India," he told news agency ANI.
So, who will get the doses first?
Notably, India first plans to target those who are at higher risk of contracting the infection. The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) had earlier suggested that 10 million healthcare members, 20 million frontline workers, and 270 million people aged above 50 or those having comorbidities should get the vaccine first. NEGVAC is headed by NITI Aayog's member Dr. VK Paul.
Dr. Paul informed high-level GoM about vaccination program
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Dr. Paul met with a group of ministers (GoM), where he gave a presentation on three important aspects of vaccination. He also provided an update on six vaccines, that are undergoing clinical trials in India. Separately, Dr. Sujeet Singh, from the National Centre for Disease Control, provided information about the coronavirus situation in the country.
Next year, India will be able to inoculate 30cr people
Dr. Harsh Vardhan, who also attended the meeting, said India would vaccinate crores of people in the next six to seven months. "Our scientists and health experts have worked on the development of a vaccine by genome sequencing and isolation of the coronavirus and developed an indigenous vaccine. In six-seven months, we will have the capacity to inoculate about 30 crore people," he claimed.
How bad is the coronavirus situation in India?
Yesterday, India recorded more than 24,000 new coronavirus cases, pushing the countrywide tally past 10.05 million. Over 96 lakh people have defeated the disease so far, taking the recovery rate to 95.5%. With 300 new deaths, the death toll stands at 1,45,865.
