NEW DELHI, Dec 5 — As the United Kingdom (UK) becomes the first country to approve a coronavirus vaccine for widespread use, India may have to battle several challenges before it completes vaccination, health experts say, according to Anadolu Agency.
With a population of 1.3 billion, India is currently battling the Covid-19 pandemic and is ranked second in infections. With fresh cases reported daily, it is now developing a strategy for effective vaccination.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said a vaccine is likely to be available in India by the first quarter of 2021.
“The main challenge is to work with a new vaccine and provide it across age groups, unlike the current vaccination program which focuses primarily on pregnant women and children.
“It will require working at scale across the country to reach all target populations, and ensure both the infrastructure and human resources are available to enable this,” Dr Anant Bhan, a researcher at Global Health, Bioethics and Health Policy told the news agency.
He said India requires adequate resourcing and preparing the ground for the effective distribution of vaccines.
Dr T Sundararaman, the coordinator of the People’s Health Movement in New Delhi, said for a country like India, there are challenges in vaccine delivery, logistics, manufacture and availability.
“In vaccine delivery, the challenge is ensuring there is a demand for services in those who are most at risk. There is also the challenge of prioritisation. There are issues related to financial and human resources required and expansion related to cold chain infrastructure,” he said.
Ten vaccine candidates have been supported by the Department of Biotechnology and five are in human trials, including the Russian Vaccine Sputnik-V, according to the government.
Speaking at an all-party meeting to discuss the vaccination strategy on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the government was developing a comprehensive vaccination strategy.
He said about eight potential vaccines currently in different stages of trial will be manufactured in India, including the three indigenous vaccines.
— Bernama
