Govt ready to roll out COVID vaccine by next week

NEW DELHI, Jan 5
A few days after the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine for "restricted use in emer-gency situations", the Health Ministry said the vaccine will be rolled out within 10 days from date of emergency use authorisation.
The DGCI had granted approval for the two vaccines on January 3.
"We are prepared to roll out vaccine within 10 days of emergency use authorisation approvals. The final call will be taken by the Government," news agency ANI quoted Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan as saying.
He said healthcare workers and frontline workers would not need to register themselves as a beneficiary for availing the vaccine as their data is in the bulk database that has been popu- lated on the Co-WIN vaccine delivery management system.
Bhushan said there are four primary vaccine stores called GMSD located in Karnal, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata and there are 37 vaccine stores in the country. These store vaccine in bulk and ensure distribution.
"The facility, including the number of vaccines stor-ed and temperature trackers, is monitored digitally. We have this facility for over a decade in the country," Bhushan said.
He said the number of active cases in the country are less than 2.5 lakhs and continue to be on the decline. The positivity rate stood at 1.97 per cent, he added.
"Forty-four per cent of active cases are in hospital with moderate or severe symptoms needing regular care. Fifty-six per cent of cases are very mild or asymptomatic and are in home isolation. The overall burden on health delivery structure declined appreciably on account of COVID-19 in India," ANI quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech jointly pledged to work together towards a smooth rollout of the COVID vaccines to India and the world.
"Both our companies are fully engaged in this activity and consider it our duty to the nation and the world at large to ensure a smooth rollout of vaccines. Each of our companies continue their COVID-19 vaccines development as planned," SII's Adar Poonawala and Bharat Biotech CMD Krishna Ella said in a joint statement.  Courtesy The Week