Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to launchnationwide vaccination drive for the Covid-19 today at 10:30 am. Covid-19 hadput the entire world at a screeching halt with considerable reduction in theeconomic growth and development.
Touted as one of the biggest inoculation drives, Indiasets to vaccinate its registered health care workers in the first phase. As perthe data, in the first phase around 3 Crore health care workers will bevaccinated.
It is to be noted that the Government of India approvedCovaxin- an indigenous vaccine developed by Hyderabad based Bhart Biotech incollaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and NationalInstitute of Virology (NIV) and Covishield, the vaccine candidate from Punebased Serum Institute of India which is an equivalent to the vaccine candidatedeveloped by Oxford University and Astra Zeneca for emergency use.
The UK had already given approval to vaccine candidate ofOxford-Astra Zeneca in December 30 last year. According to the data available of BharatBiotech's website, the Covaxin had received approval for Phase 1 and 2 HumanClinical Trials and the trails commenced across India from July 2020.
After successful completion of the two trails, it gotapproval by DCGI for Phase 3 trials in 26,000 participants across 25 centers inIndia. There are experts who are of the view that emergency approval without acquiringthe Phase 3 trial data is a hasty decision but health communicators andgovernment believes otherwise.
Whatto expect now? Learn in digestible succinct points:
a. 3 Lakh health care workers are expected to bevaccinated on the first day.
b. PM Modi will launch the vaccination drive from around 3,000 centers acrossIndia through video conferencing.
c. Sawai Man Singh of Jaipur will be first person to beadministered the vaccine while a hospital security guard and an attendant willbe administered a vaccine Madhya Pradesh.
d. Health Minister, Harsh Vardhan reviewed the preparationsand reiterated that both the vaccines are safe.
e. The government has prioritized private andgovernmental health care workers in the first phase of the vaccination drive.
f. The government says that the vaccine will beadministered to around 1 crore health care workers and around 2 crore frontlineworkers and then to persons above 50 years of age. Later on the vaccine will beadministered to people who are younger than 50 years with co morbidities.
g. The staff of about 1.5 lakh in 700 districts has beenspecially trained in handling and administering the vaccine.
h. As per the data in India, Covid-19 has killed morethan 1.5 lakh people and infected over 1.05 crore.