New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan expressed confidence Thursday that a COVID-19 vaccine will be ready in the next three-four months. He said the government has drawn up a meticulous priority plan with healthcare workers and those above 65 years on top of the list. Harsh Vardhan was addressing FICCI FLO’s national webinar on ‘The Shifting Healthcare Paradigm During and Post-COVID’. He said it is estimated that 400-500 million vaccine doses will be made available for 250-300 million people by July-August.
“I am confident that the COVID-19 vaccine will be ready in the next three-four months,” Vardhan said. “It is natural that the vaccine distribution would have to be prioritised. As you know the healthcare workers who are corona warriors will be prioritized. Then people who are above 65 years of age will get the vaccine. It will then be proritised for those from 50-65 years of age. Then those below 50 years who have other diseases will get the vaccine,” the minister added.
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Vardhan said everything is being decided by experts with a scientific point of view. “We have made a very detailed meticulous plan on this,” the minister said. “What we would have to do in March-April next year, we have started planning for it from now only,” Vardhan added.
Vardhan said about 90-99 per cent tackling of COVID-19 is only through protecting and motivating others. “You can protect yourself from this deadly virus with small precautions. You need to wear a good quality mask properly. One should maintain social distance and take care of hand-hygiene,” Vardhan noted.