The Oxford COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India will be sent for approval to the regulator Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) by a government-appointed panel of experts. the panel of expert suggested its use for emergency as of now.
The Serum Institute of India (SII) is making the vaccine Covishield developed by Oxford University and pharma major AstraZeneca, while Bharat Biotech has partnered with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for its Covaxin.
Pfizer had sought more time to present their data to the panel of experts.
The centre is looking to start giving vaccine shots from this month, once the vaccine is cleared for a final time by the DCGI.A dry run for vaccination is scheduled in all the states today.
Meanwhile Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare today chaired a high-level meeting to review preparedness at session sites across the country for COVID-19 vaccination trial run .
The senior officials of the Ministry apprised the Minister on various improvements that have been made on 2nd January to make tomorrow’s Pan-India dry-run glitch free such as number of telephone operators has been increased to answer every possible query from the teams on ground conducting the dry-run; block level task forces have been constituted for physical inspection of the sites; all workers have been oriented for the purpose with the dissemination of FAQs on the process, among other issues.
Requesting every official to ensure that the vaccination sites and official incharge abide by the detailed checklist and SOP for vaccination that has been prepared by the Union Health Ministry and shared with the States/UTs to guide them in the dry run, Dr. Harsh Vardhan pressed the need for perfect calibration between the administrative and medical officers to make the event a primer that would later enable the mass implementation of vaccination drive.
Re-emphasizing the importance of such an event that involves mass participation similar to the elections, he said, “Let us attempt to implement it as a real exercise with attention to the minutest detail. Proper co-ordination will go a long way in building mutual understanding so that the upcoming vaccination drive may proceed without any glitch.”
Drawing from the Pulse Polio drive of 1994 in Delhi, Dr Harsh Vardhan stated that as the exercise of vaccination is so integrally based on interaction and involvement of people, the relevant stakeholders, NGOs, Civil Society Organization (CSOs) and others need to be mobilised.He also stressed on the need for adequate security arrangements at session sites, cold chain points and during vaccine transportation.
