New Delhi:
Nearly a year immediately after India reported its 1st case of coronavirus from Kerala, the “start of the end of the pandemic”, as Health Minister Harsh Vardhan described it on Friday, started this morning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi launching the nationwide rollout. The government aims to vaccinate 1 crore healthcare workers and 2 crore frontline workers in the 1st phase.
Across the nation, states have geared up for the process immediately after 3 dry runs – two of them nationwide – in the final couple of weeks. India’s Covid tally surged to 1.05 crore instances this morning with 15,158 new infections more than 1.5 lakh patients have died considering that the starting of the pandemic.
In 700 districts, about 1.5 lakh employees have been educated to administer the shots and maintain records. The rollout started this morning at some 3,000 web pages across all states and union territories about one hundred individuals will be vaccinated at every session website. The World Health Organisation congratulated India on “world’s largest coronavirus drive” in a series of tweets.
It’s not feasible to vaccinate the whole nation at this point, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had mentioned earlier.
India’s ???????? Prime Minister @narendramodi today launched #COVID19Vaccination targeting 300 million priority groups, like #healthcare and #frontlineworkers, in the 1st phase. #LargestVaccinationDrive#IndiaFightsCoronapic.twitter.com/VqSufmtEw4
— WHO South-East Asia (@WHOSEARO) January 16, 2021
Around one hundred persons will get #Covid19Vaccination at every of India’s 3,006 web pages on the inaugural day of the #LargestVaccinationDrive#IndiaFightsCorona#Unite2FightCoronapic.twitter.com/MIohYlvt4U
— WHO South-East Asia (@WHOSEARO) January 16, 2021
The 1st phase #COVID19Vaccination is anticipated to cover 10 million #healthcare workers, 20 million #frontlineworkers and 270 million above age 50 years and/or with co-morbidities. #LargestVaccinationDrive#IndiaFightsCoronapic.twitter.com/y3qVA01kc5
— WHO South-East Asia (@WHOSEARO) January 16, 2021
“From healthcare workers to municipal workers — all such people are part of priority groups. This is 3 crore in total. After that, 27 crore people will get vaccinated (in the second phase),” he had mentioned. In the second phase, the concentrate will be on these above the age of 50 years and these beneath 50 who have co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension and other chronic circumstances.
Two vaccines have been cleared by the drug regulator DCGI – Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, created in partnership with the Oxford University and European firm AstraZeneca, and Bharat Biotech’s homegrown Covaxin, created in partnership with prime healthcare body ICMR.
The centre and not the states will bear the expense for the 1st phase to vaccinate the overall health workers, PM Modi mentioned on Monday immediately after a meeting with healthcare workers.
The Covishield vaccine has been priced at Rs 200 a dose immediately after a cost agreement was arrived at with the government, sources mentioned. Eleven million doses will be supplied to the government in the initial tranche. Earlier this week, the SII sent 1st batches of the doses to 13 cities Covaxin was dispatched the next day.
The government has worked really hard to counter issues raised by overall health professionals and the opposition about Covaxin which has not completed Phase 3 trials below which the efficacy of the drug is tested.
Four more COVID-19 vaccines -Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan mentioned Zydus Cadila, Sputnik V, Biological E and Gennova – are anticipated to be cleared in the coming months, the Health Ministry had mentioned earlier this week.
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