New Delhi: The government Wednesday said a single central system will be set up to procure COVID-19 vaccines for vaccine requirements across India that will be centrally monitored. It further advised states against separate mechanisms to nuy the antigen to avoid ambiguities in logistics.
After the maiden meeting of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19, a NITI Aayog panel, the Union health ministry said India will leverage domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity, besides engaging with all international manufacturers for early delivery of vaccines not only for domestic use but also for neighbouring nations and low to middle income group countries across the globe.
The meeting was chaired by Dr V.K. Paul, member of NITI Aayog, with Rajesh Bhushan, secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, as the co-chairperson.
Amongst the key aspects deliberated upon in the meeting were the conceptualization and implementation mechanisms for creating a digital infrastructure for inventory management. The expert group also discussed the delivery of the vaccine, including a real-time tracking of the vaccination process, which will focus on last-mile delivery.
The broad parameters to select vaccine candidates for the country was also finalised along with inputs from the standing technical sub-committee of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI).
“Issues related to vaccine safety and surveillance were taken up and the strategy for community involvement through transparent information and awareness creation were discussed,” it added.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said over $100 billion will be needed towards global procurement of vaccines.
Indian pharmaceutical companies namely Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila are aggressively involved in COVID-19 vaccine development.
The Serum Institute of India is conducting the phase 3 clinical trials for the adenovirus-based covid vaccine jointly developed by AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford.
Last week, Serum Institute had received a $150 million funding from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, for two vaccines developed by University of Oxford and Novavax, on the condition that the Pune-based firm prices the vaccines at a maximum of Rs.250 per dose.
PNN/Agencies
