VACCINES FOR ALL FROM MAY
NEW DELHI: All adults will become eligible for a coronavirus vaccine and doses can be sold via the market from May 1, the Union government said on Monday, heeding to a growing clamour for wider access as the country grapples with a devastating surge of Covid-19 infections. The decision, taken during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, makes India one of the first countries to allow all adults to seek a vaccine, although people under the age of 45 will only be able to receive doses once private sales begin or if state governments procure stocks for distribution to these age groups.
“The government has been working hard from over a year to ensure that maximum numbers of Indians are able to get the vaccine in the shortest possible of time,” a statement by the Press Information Bureau quoted Modi as saying.
According to officials aware of developments, Modi made the decision to open up vaccinations after meeting officials overseeing the process. The PM also called a number of chief ministers to discuss the matter in wake of the Covid-19 surge.
The statement added that under the third phase of the vaccination strategy, the government will make pricing, procurement, eligibility, and administration open and flexible.
According to the details in the statement, vaccine makers will be able to sell half of what they produce at a price of their choosing to the open market and to state governments. The remainder will need to be supplied to Centre for the state-sponsored component of the vaccination programme, which remains limited to the 45-and-over age group only. If the vaccines have been imported as ready-to-use, the government will allow all of the stocks to be sold on the open market or to the states. The pricing for any doses sold in the open market will need to be “transparent”, although the government’s release did not indicate a cap.
“India has been following a dynamic mapping model based on availability of vaccines & coverage of vulnerable priority groups to take decisions of when to open up vaccinations to other age-groups. A good amount of coverage of vulnerable groups is expected by 30th April,” the statement said.
While the two Indian companies supplying doses at present — Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech — didn’t respond to requests for a comment, their supply capacities suggest a little over 45 million doses per month may be available for private sales (or to state governments) beginning May.
SII at present produces 70 million doses a month and its CEO Adar Poonawalla recently said the company is looking to expand capacity to 100 million by May-end.