India on Thursday achieved the ambitious landmark of administering a 100 crore, or billion Covid-19 vaccine doses, the Union Health Ministry said. The drive that began on January 16 this year has reached a commendable height, despite the numerous hurdles India faced in the form of initial vaccine hesitancy, cold chain bottlenecks, and a devastating second wave of the pandemic.
The milestone was in the offing for a few days, as News18 had earlier reported that the Centre was planning several celebratory events, expecting to hit the mark early this week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to address the nation and pay tribute to healthcare workers, especially those who have worked on the ground, and helped achieve the landmark. The Union Health Ministry has carried through its aim of increasing vaccinations in a bid to protect its most vulnerable populations and restart economic activities.
A Well Thought-out, Phased Start & Journey
The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with the most vulnerable groups being given priority – healthcare and frontline workers were inoculated in the initial phases. The next phase of vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified comorbidities. The country launched vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years from April 1. The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1.
According to reports, on an average, 27 lakh doses have been given each day in this ten month period (albeit with variations) as India achieved the 100-crore milestone in about 275 days. The government had announced on the first of this month that 31 states and UTs have covered more than 60% of their adult population above 18, with at least one dose of Covid vaccines and 25% of this cohort has received the full two doses. Overall, 69% of the country’s total adult population has received at least one dose of vaccine, the government had said. As a share of the entire population, the coverage works out to 46%, and India has administered 889 million shots. Thus, India’s shots per 100 population has risen to a respectable 63, with the world average at 79.4, it said.
India’s Vaccine Arsenal
India had started its vaccine drive on January 16 with two jabs – Covishield and Covaxin. The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine ‘Covishield’ is locally manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and Covaxin is manufactured by Bharat Biotech, a Hyderabad-based 24-year-old vaccine company.
The country continued to add more vaccines to its arsenal in the coming months. The third spot was taken up by Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, created by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow. Next came the Moderna vaccine, which was approved by the Drug Controller and General of India (DGCI) on 29 June, for emergency use. The approval for the next vaccine – Johnson & Johnson’s single dose jab – came a day after the country crossed the 500 million doses milestone, within 6 months of the vaccination program on August 6.
The Indian drug regulator on August 20 approved Zydus Cadila’s three-dose COVID-19 DNA vaccine for emergency use in adults and children aged 12 years and above, bringing in the sixth vaccine authorized for use in the country, and first for inoculating children.
Jabs in Pipeline
Other vaccine candidates are in the pipeline for approval by the Centre. The Centre had earlier placed an advance order for 30 crore doses of a vaccine being created by the Hyderabad-based Biological-E called Corbevax, an an indigenous vaccine that also could potentially be the cheapest vaccine available in India when it finally launches. The vaccine has received the nod for Phase III clinical trials in India after showing promising results in phases I and II. The Centre will pay Rs 1,500 crore for its consignment of 30 crore doses. Corbevax, like most other Covid-19 jabs out so far, is a two-dose vaccine.
The vaccine will reportedly be the cheapest vaccine available in India with the two shots expected to be cumulatively priced below Rs 400. In comparison, the Covishield vaccine which come at Rs 300-Rs 400 for a single dose. The Russian Sputnik V costs around Rs 1,000.
Another vaccine awaited is the Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covovax’. In September 2020, Novavax had announced a manufacturing agreement with SII for its COVID-19 vaccine NVX-CoV2373. The vaccine is currently undergoing trials in India, including a paediatric trials that the pharmaceutical giant is looking to expand.
Next Step: Children’s Vaccine Drive
Meanwhile, parents in India are expectant of the government starting the Covid-19 vaccination drive for children soon. However, the Centre does not plan to rush into starting the drive, as it carefully vets all global scientific advice, trends, and international journals to ensure kids’ full safety. News18 had earlier reported that Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has told senior officials in the Health Ministry that there should be no rush in clearing the vaccines or starting the drive. The top panel of experts — the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) — has also been asked to take a holistic view before submitting the final plan to start the drive, the sources said.
The vaccine drive for kids may start in the second half of November, News18 had reported, with priority given to children suffering from chronic or severe health conditions. The subject expert committee (SEC) under the country’s drug regulator had approved the use of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin in children between 2 and 18 years of age. However, the jab awaits approval from the DGI.
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