COVID-19 Vaccine: Health Ministry prepares plan of action for priority-based distribution

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that India has recorded a significant decline in the number of Coronavirus cases. With high hope to have over 400 to 500 million doses of Coronavirus vaccine in India, Vardhan chaired a meeting with a group of ministers in Delhi to discuss the status of the cure for the viral infection in the country as well as internationally.

In the meeting, a plan of action focusing on which sections will be given priority was also discussed. Health Minister Vardhan told ANI that the distribution of the Coronavirus vaccine will be monitored through a scientific approach. 

Dr Harsh Vardhan said, “For this, strategies that have been adopted by the world be it Centre for Disease Control, the United States are being studied continuously. Digital platforms are also being prepared for the same."

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COVID-19 update: Who will first get coronavirus vaccine?

Earlier, All India Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria has said that if everything goes as per the plan, COVID-19 vaccine can be expected in India by January 2021. The centre has directed the head of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration, Dr VK Paul, to prepare a plan on how the vaccine will be distributed in the country. According to Paul, the cure will be first distributed to those who need it the most. the listing of healthcare workers will be completed by the end of October or early November, he added. 

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Health Ministry said, “The eVIN network which can track the latest vaccine stock position, the temperature at the storage facility, geo-tag health centres, and maintain facility-level dashboard is being repurposed for the delivery of COVID vaccine."

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In Tuesday's meeting, a detailed study on 'the priority sections of the populations that would have initial access to the vaccine drawing upon recommendations of CDC, USA, and WHO. A total of three candidates who are volunteering for the Covaxin trials are at different levels of the clinical trials. Covaxin is the first indigenous vaccine that is being developed by Bharat Biotech International Limited along with the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology. Currently, the vaccine is in Phase II human trials in the country.

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(With ANI inputs)