Government inaction on Corona vaccine, Taskforce from procurement to vaccination

The government has intensified preparations to acquire the vaccine, which is considered to be the most effective weapon against Corona and to reach it to the people. The government has formed a task force for the identification, procurement, distribution, and vaccination of the vaccine, which includes representatives from all concerned ministries and institutions. This step has been taken by the government at a time when some 6 vaccines have either reached phase three or are undergoing a combined trial of phase 2-3. Countries around the world are vying for deals with vaccine manufacturers.

On the condition of anonymity, the people associated with the matter said that while Dr. VK Paul of NITI Aayog will be headed by the panel, Health Secretary Rajiv Bhushan will accompany him as co-chairman. This committee will identify one or more vaccines for India, prepare a procurement plan, which will be billable in billions of dollars, and set priorities for vaccination.

The only way to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the absence of a vaccine is to wear masks, social distancing, and restrictions on common activities. Due to which work and normal life has been badly affected. By Friday night, more than 12 million people have been infected worldwide due to Coronavirus infection, and 7 lakh 20 thousand people have died. In India too, more than 20 lakh people have been infected, so more than 42 thousand people have died.

Most Hindustan Times had reported on July 27 that Indian authorities are considering prioritizing vaccine, procurement. AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, Ministry of External Affairs, Biotechnology, Information Technology Representative, Director General of Health Services, AIDS Research Institute of India, Indian Council of Medical Research, and representatives of the states are also included in the high-level panel formed on Friday by the Cabinet Secretary.

The panel work will begin with the identification of the vaccine. Countries like the United States and Britain are dealing with countries leading in vaccine development. It will then be decided on how to purchase the vaccine. Foreign agencies should be included or the states should be allowed to buy or the central government should buy it.

A government official associated with the case said the panel would coordinate with the Vaccine Alliance GAVI and the World Health Organization. India is going to benefit from GAVI's Kovacs program and the agency will provide the necessary vaccines for 20% of the population. The group will also prepare a financial plan and budget for procurement, distribution, and vaccination. Finally, the panel will formulate a strategy for inventory management, distribution, and vaccination. Many of these issues have been discussed last month.

Officials are closely monitoring the development of at least 9 vaccines, including two Chinese. It is expected that the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to be produced by the Serum Institute of India under the leadership of Adar Poonawala is expected to work in India.

The government official said, "Internal discussions have started so that we are fully prepared and there is no disturbance at the last minute." One of the important issues is its distribution in remote areas like the North East and how we have to create large scale cold storage in these areas. ”However, this is the second problem, first identifying the vaccines in India and also buying them is. Dr. Sanjay of Kolkata Medical College says, "It is good that the central government has set up such a committee in advance so that there are no logistic related problems in a country like India."