India holds COVID-19 vaccine drills ahead of mass inoculation drive | Inquirer News

India holds COVID-19 vaccine drills ahead of mass inoculation drive

/ 04:59 PM January 02, 2021

Health professionals from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) display mock messages with their names listed as beneficiaries as they take part in dry run or a mock drill for Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine delivery held for public health workers to conduct the vaccination programme at a health centre in Bangalore on January 2, 2021. Photo by Manjunath Kiran / AFP

NEW DELHI — India on Saturday staged nationwide drills to start one of the world’s biggest coronavirus vaccination programs as the drug regulator prepared to approve the first vaccine.

A government panel on Friday recommended emergency use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University shot and the first injections could be given in the coming week after the Drugs Control Authority of India gives final approval.

Article continues after this advertisement

India, which has the world’s second highest number of pandemic cases — more than 10.2 million — has set an ambitious target of inoculating 300 million of its 1.3 billion people by mid-2021.

FEATURED STORIES

Serum Institute of India, the world’s biggest vaccine producer, has already stockpiled tens of millions of doses of AstraZeneca’s Covishield ready for the campaign and 96,000 health workers have been trained for the inoculation drive.

The drills saw 25 health workers receive dummy vaccines at each of the centers to be used across the country in a test run ahead of the launch.

Article continues after this advertisement

Health minister Harsh Vardhan said the exercise would help build expertise “so that the upcoming vaccination drive may proceed without any glitch.” He has also called for a campaign to counter “misleading rumors” that may scare people off getting the vaccine.

Article continues after this advertisement

While India is only second to the United States for the number of cases, its rate of infection has come down significantly from a mid-September peak of 90,000 plus cases daily and its fatality rate is lower than other badly affected countries.

Article continues after this advertisement

Britain and Argentina this week authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine while the World Health Organization on Thursday granted emergency validation to the rival Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Covishield is expected to get more use in India as it can be stored and transported under normal refrigeration while the Pfizer shot needs ultra low temperatures for storage.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.

TAGS: Coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccine, India

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.