122 cr doses needed to vaccinate 59 crore people in 18-45 age group: Centre

The Centre has told the Supreme Court that a total of 122 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine would be required to vaccinate a population of 59 crore in the age group of 18-45 years. In an affidavit filed before the top court, the Centre said vaccination is the topmost priority of the government and all efforts are being made to achieve an objective of 100% vaccination in shortest time possible.

On April 22, the top court took note of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the country and ordered the Centre to come up with a national plan to deal with the distribution of essential services and supplies, including medical oxygen and drugs.

“It is submitted that considering the limited availability of two vaccines which are presently available in India, namely Covaxin and Covishield, it became incumbent upon the government to prioritize vaccination in the most scientific manner. It is submitted that while prioritizing vaccination, the first priority was towards health workers,” the affidavit said.

Stating that the central government has already taken proactive steps for procurement of other vaccines apart from Covishield and Covaxin, the Centre told the court that it has fast tracked the emergency approvals for foreign produced COVID-19 vaccines that have been granted approval in other countries. It added that it has already granted licence to Sputnik V vaccine for restricted use in emergency situation (emergency use authorization granted by European Union Agency) based on data from studies/clinical trials in Russia and other countries coupled with data from Phase II/III trials conducted in India by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

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“It is submitted that as per estimates the availability of locally manufactured Sputnik V vaccine will start from July onwards. It is expected that locally manufactured Sputnik V vaccine will be available to the extent of 8 million and 16 million doses (for 4 million and 8 million individuals) for the months of July and August 2021 respectively.”

The Centre said the Union of India has been in constant touch with Pfizer, Moderna and J&J since mid-2020 with the objective of encouraging these companies to develop, supply and manufacture their respective vaccine through their local partners in India.