By Neha Arora and Krishna N. Das
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India has received praise for the gift and sale of COVID-19 vaccines around the world, but it will have to increase the rate of vaccinations at home to reach its targets.
After the world reported the second highest number of COVID-19 cases after the United States, India wants to accuse 300 million people – a fifth of its population – against the virus by August.
In four weeks, however, health workers have vaccinated just 7.5 million front-line workers, with priority, a rate at which it would take India several years to achieve its goal.
“Vaccination programs usually start slowly and then begin to be sorted out with logistical and operational issues,” says Gagandeep Kang, professor of microbiology at Christian Medical College in Vellore.
‘In India, we are happy that the provision of vaccines is not a rate-limiting step, but to meet the timelines set by the government, we will have to vaccinate between 4 and 5 times more people every day than we do today. “
The government says it is ready to step up vaccinations from next month, including by pointing to more private hospitals as soon as identified groups of the general public get the shots. A government online vaccine platform told Reuters it could handle 10 million vaccinations a day.
The Ministry of Health also says that India is the fastest reached to reach the 7 million milestone, although the immunization was much higher compared to the population in many other countries.
Several major Indian states, such as Tamil Nadu and Punjab, have covered less than 40% of their high-risk people such as nurses, doctors and cleaning staff in the hospital, which worries the federal government.
New Delhi has urged the countries to speed up vaccinations after a review found a significant room for improvement, although the government believes too many private players could be involved in the campaign.
“The administration of vaccines needs a system because of the nature of the disease,” said a senior government official involved in the process, who did not want to be named, referring to service rules.
“They need to take details of the person taking it, record it and monitor it.”
‘STOKINMITATIONS’
India, which makes up 60% of all vaccines in the world, has donated or sold COVID-19 shots to 17 countries and has requests from five others. However, the government told http://164.100.24.220/loksabhaquestions/annex/175/AU1411.pdf this week that it is coordinating with the manufacturers to ensure adequate supplies for its own campaign.
It is also said that http://164.100.24.220/loksabhaquestions/annex/175/AU917.pdf infrastructure such as cold storage and special vehicles is not a problem while acknowledging vaccine hesitation among some beneficiaries.
India has deployed the COVAXIN survey developed by Bharat Biotech in partnership with the state-run Indian Medical Research Council, as well as a vaccine licensed from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.
However, some doctors and the opposition government Chhattisgarh are concerned about COVAXIN, which was approved for emergency use last month without any efficacy data from a late trial.
The health ministry has reprimanded Chhattisgarh for causing a vaccine inhibition during a pandemic. India on Friday recorded 9,309 new cases of COVID-19, increasing the total number to 10.88 million cases since the pandemic began. Deaths rose by 87 to a total of 155,447.
“In such unprecedented times, you must help address any hesitation against vaccines and do what is in the best interest of people, and not further interest!” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Twitter in response to a letter from his counterpart in Chhattisgarh.
Bharat Biotech said the efficacy data of the late-stage clinical trial will be available by next month. The government called the shot safe and effective.
India is also expected to approve other shots in the coming months, including Russian Sputnik V and products from Cadila Healthcare, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson.
(Reported by Neha Arora and Krishna N. Das; edited by Raissa Kasolowsky)