Same vaccine for a district in Centre’s roll-out strategy
ACCORDING TO AN OFFICIAL, STATES HAVE BEEN ASKED FOR THEIR CHOICE OF VACCINES TO GET AN IDEA OF THE DEMAND
NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government has decided that the government’s Covid-19 vaccine programme will offer only one vaccine brand in a district to ensure efficient logistical management and prevent any confusion in the minds of either those administering the shots, or the people being vaccinated.
HT learns that while states, especially large ones, will have a portfolio of vaccines from different manufacturers — the thinking is that there might not be enough supply if everyone were to insist on the same vaccine — they will still ensure that the same vaccine is administered within a district.
The people drafting India’s vaccine plan have had several brainstorming sessions to finalize the strategy.
The choice of vaccines is a tricky issue. Two — Serum Institute of India and Bharat BioTech already applied for an emergency authorization from the subject expert committee of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization — but there could be other vaccines that become available over the course of the year.
“We looked at different options and it has been decided that a district will receive not more than one brand of vaccine,” said a member of the centre’s expert group on Covid vaccines, who asked not to be named.
The official also added that the states have been asked for their choice of vaccines to get an idea of the demand. To be sure, a state may not receive its choice — supply, after all, depends on what has been approved and how much of it is available.
For starters, SII’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin are expected to be available. Two other potential candidates, ZyCov-D from Zydus Cadila and Sputnik V, co-produced by Dr Reddy’s lab (the second has cleared phase 3 trials in Russia) are expected to start their final trials here soon.
A second official aware of the plan, who too asked not to be named, added: “The choice of vaccines for a district is a critical decision. It will help quell social resentment or law and order problem over vaccination. If we offer choices of vaccine in a district, people might refuse one and ask for another. It could lead to rumour mongering and misinformation on social media.”
India has a detailed plan for the supply chain for Covid-19 vaccines even though no vaccines have got approval from the Indian drug regulator so far. To be sure, transporting vaccines will be easier than storing them.
All possible vaccine candidates for India, from SII’s Covishield to Pfizer Inc.’s mRNA vaccine will require 2 degrees to 8 degrees Celsius temperature for transportation.
Covishield, developed by the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca Plc., can be stored, transported and handled at 2 degrees to 8 degrees, BioNTech SE and Pfizer’s vaccines need to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius, but can be kept for up to five days at 2 degrees to 8 degrees.
The same temperature can keep Moderna’s product stable for 30 days but if it needs to be stored for longer, the vaccine requires a temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius. The Gamaleya vaccine can be stored at 2 degrees to 8 degrees.
Much of the long-distance movement of the vaccines in India will be by air.
The last mile transport is likely to be by road.
Interestingly, district collectors and other top officials in the district administration might not be included in the list of frontline workers, the first official said. While a demand to add DCs to the priority list was made by some states, the Centre argued that the central government officials, who are at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic, are not getting any such benefit.
A state official, however, argued that “vaccination of DCs and other officials would have also sent a strong signal” (about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine).