Health Ministry, NITI Aayog launch COVID vaccination learning exchange platform 'CoVLEx'

NITI Aayog and the Union Health Ministry on September 18, have launched a USAID-funded initiative called the "City-to-City COVID-19 Vaccination Learning Exchange (CoVLEx)" to start an exchange of ideas and learnings on pandemic response and to build a global COVID-19 vaccination knowledge management platform.

According to a press release, the CoVLEx platform will create knowledge products like an interactive web-based information portal and a Best Practices Compendium and host virtual forums for cities and countries to share their experiences.
Vaccine procurement, governance, digital innovation planning and management, vaccine supply chain, communications and social mobilisation, capacity building, adverse events after immunisation, and monitoring and supervision will be among the subjects discussed.

The programme was launched by Dr Vinod K. Paul, NITI Aayog Member; Dr Manohar Agnani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India; and Veena Reddy, Mission Director, USAID, India. They were accompanied by Dr Rakesh Kumar, Chief Advisor, Population Services International, representatives from the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, USAID, state governments of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, WHO, UNICEF, Gates Foundation, PATH, and participants from Nigeria, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 epidemic, countries have faced difficult challenges in terms of reaction and recovery, particularly those in the Global South that lack domestic vaccine production capability. Despite setbacks, numerous governments have attempted to introduce creative solutions through collaborations, technology, and private sector participation.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has played a key role in distributing vaccinations to 95 countries under the "Maitri vaccine" very early in his vaccination campaign. He is currently heading the world's largest free vaccination programme.

“Last year embodies the genuine essence of global solidarity, creativity, and collaboration. From its national efforts, India can teach other countries a lot. In our fight against Covid-19, adding and implementing Global South's proven interventions will be a welcome step,” said NITI Aayog Fellow Dr Vinod K Paul.

Dr Manohar Agnani, Additional Secretary, MoHFW, said, “India's immunisation campaign has been invigorated in recent months, with up to 100 million vaccines administered in two weeks in September. This is the result of meticulous planning and joint efforts by the Centre and state governments in the production, procurement, and supply of vaccines, supplemented by technological advancements such as CoWIN, etc. The Government of India will fully contribute and support the provision of knowledge and tools to other countries to help them accelerate their vaccination campaigns.”

“Inevitably, each country is at a different stage of its national COVID-19 immunisation campaign. As we race to vaccinate populations to end the pandemic and better manage future public health crises, bringing together donors, governments, development organisations, and the private sector from 11 countries will be able to provide valuable information on COVID-19 vaccination best practises, challenges, and innovative solutions,” Veena Reddy, Mission Director, USAID, India, added.

Dr Rakesh Kumar, Chief Advisor to Population Services International (PSI) stated, “With the introduction of new varieties, unvaccinated populations continue to bear the burden of the coronavirus. There are numerous reasons to provide the global community with the skills to vaccinate their populations effectively, and the world has joined together to develop vaccines in a short period of time. Because the virus is still young and evolving, continuous knowledge exchange will help to strengthen national immunisation efforts in other countries and inspire others to follow in his footsteps.”

Fifteen cities from India and around the world will take part in the effort at first to interact with other towns in the future. Covid-19 vaccination techniques have the potential to be a game-changer in terms of boosting routine national immunisation programmes, which will aid in the delivery of effective primary health care services and expedite progress toward universal health coverage.

Image: PTI