New Delhi, 28 August 2024: In a country where vaccination is often associated only with childhood immunisation and the need for adult vaccines is often overlooked, HCMCT Manipal Hospital and Pfizer India have collaborated to launch a dedicated Centre for adult vaccination at HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka, New Delhi, strengthening the delivery of adult vaccines. The Centre is focused on improving patient care by providing comprehensive adult vaccination services against various vaccine-preventable diseases, including Pneumococcal disease, Influenza, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and Hepatitis A and B, among others.

In India, 95% of vaccine-preventable disease deaths occur in adults¹, despite adult vaccination being a proven solution to enhance quality of life. The Centre will educate healthcare professionals on the benefits of timely adult vaccination, focusing individuals who are at-risk of chronic health conditions like COPD, Asthma, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Kidney Disease, Liver Cirrhosis, and those with additional risk factors like smoking, pollution exposure, or those aged 50 years or older, will also benefit from discussing adult vaccination with healthcare practitioners as a preventive healthcare measure.

Dr. Ankita Baidya, Consultant Infectious Disease, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka, New Delhi said, “Vaccine-Preventable diseases have a major impact on individuals and communities. Adult vaccination is a cornerstone of preventive medicine, offering a simple yet powerful way to safeguard against preventable diseases. This adult vaccination centre will play an important role in promoting adult vaccine awareness, addressing hesitancy, and ensuring equitable access to life-saving vaccines, ultimately strengthening the public health infrastructure. Expanding adult vaccination in India can help reduce disease burden, protect vulnerable populations, and bring in herd immunity.”

Speaking on the launch, Ms. Viji Varghese, Hospital Director, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka, New Delhi said, “As we launch our Centre for Adult Vaccination in collaboration with Pfizer, we aim to strengthen our healthcare system but to also evolve the way we protect our communities. With this centre, we will provide vaccination services for adults to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases in India. This reflects our commitment towards delivering comprehensive care and transforming public health through innovation, awareness, and accessibility to create a healthier future for everyone.”

Dr. Santosh Taur, Director Medical Affairs, Pfizer Vaccines, said, “Pfizer is firmly committed to promoting public health and speeding up the vaccination process as a vital and effective strategy to protect the community from infections. Our collaboration with Manipal Hospital reinforces our dedication to preventive health by expanding access to adult vaccinations, ensuring robust protection against prevalent vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly respiratory infections. The establishment of this Centre represents a significant milestone in our efforts to support the nation’s healthcare infrastructure. It aims to provide healthcare practitioners and patients with critical information necessary for informed healthcare decisions, particularly regarding immunization.”

Through this initiative, Pfizer and HCMCT Manipal Hospital also aspire to enhance patient education and provide counselling to address patient concerns and emphasize the long-term health benefits that public health measures, such as vaccines, can offer. This initiative will include extensive training modules and capacity-building efforts, complemented by access to guidelines and protocol recommendations for adult vaccination.

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The biotech giant Pfizer and German partner BioNTech sought approval Friday to roll out their coronavirus vaccine early, a first step towards relief as surging infections prompt a return to shutdowns that traumatized nations and the global economy earlier this year.

The world is looking to scientists for salvation from the global pandemic. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said its vaccines committee would meet on December 10 to discuss the request for emergency use authorization.

“The FDA recognizes that transparency and dialogue are critical for the public to have confidence in COVID-19 vaccines,” the organization’s head Stephen Hahn said in a statement.

“I want to assure the American people that the FDA’s process and evaluation of the data for a potential Covid-19 vaccine will be as open and transparent as possible.”

He said he could not predict how long the review would take, but the federal government said earlier the final green light would probably come in December.

Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla called the filing “a critical milestone in our journey to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine to the world.”

The BioNTech/Pfizer shot and another one being developed by the US firm Moderna have taken the lead in the global chase for a vaccine.

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the European bloc could also approve both before the end of the year.

But the vexed and enormously complex question of how to expedite production and distribution means there will be no immediate reprieve.

And the latest wave of the pandemic is hitting many regions harder than the first that swept the globe after the virus emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

Worldwide deaths are approaching 1.4 million and infections nearing 57 million — although the true numbers are unknown since countries have different reporting methods and many cases go undetected.

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