In a huge country like India, it is critical to prioritize vaccine delivery based on various factors, says Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. He pointed out that target groups in the entire population would be prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine. Vardhan, in his fifth episode of Sunday Samvaad, said the government is looking at the availability of several different types of vaccines.
He pointed out that some may be suitable for a particultar age group while others may not be. The minister brushed off rumors about the government prioritizing the young and working-class for the COVID-19 vaccine for economic reasons. “The prioritization of groups for COVID-19 vaccine shall be based on two key considerations, occupational hazard and risk of exposure to infection, and the risk of developing severe disease and increased mortality,” the minister explained. “In a huge country like India, it is critical to prioritize vaccine delivery based on various factors such as per risk of exposure, comorbidity among various population groups, the mortality rate among COVID-19 cases and several others.” Considering the large population size of India, Vardhan said one vaccine or vaccine manufacturer will not be able to fulfil the requirements of vaccinating the whole country. “We are open to assessing the feasibility of introducing several COVID-19 vaccines in the country as per their availability for the Indian population.”
He reiterated that the most important component of the planning is the cold chain and other logistics which need apprioriate planning to ensure that no glitches occur in vaccine delivery. Vardhan pointed out the need of the massive advocacy required for building community sensitization activities to understand the reasons for vaccine hesitancy.
In regards to Emergency Use Authorization of COVID vaccines in India, the health minister said the issue is being deliberated upon. Adequate safety and efficacy data is required for emergency use authorization vaccine approval for ensuring patient safety, he explained. Further course of action will depend on the data generated. Furthermore, Vardhan revealed that the COVID-19 vaccines in trial in India are two-dose and three-dose vaccines. He said the vaccine by Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech require two doses while the Cadila Healthcare vaccine requires three doses. And for vaccines in preclinical states, Vardhan said the dosing is being tested.
