India has crossed the record 200 crore mark in COVID-19 vaccinations within 18 months of starting the vaccination exercise in January last year. The last 100 crore vaccinations were done in nine months, the same time period in which the first 100 crore vaccinations were to be done, indicating that the pace has not slowed down.
Government officials said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proactive strategic and policy-level leadership, including the Make-in-India and Make-for-world mantras, has helped the country achieve this goal, where almost every The adult has been fully vaccinated with the meds. -In-India Vaccine.
Government officials told News18 that the seven-stage vaccination campaign was carried out on the principle of prioritizing vaccine administration based on scientific advice and global best practices.
India has long overtaken the whole of Europe where the number of vaccinations is about 130 crore. India It has not only delivered 200 million doses to its citizens, but has exported more than 230 million vaccine doses to over 50 countries and still has about 100 million doses in stock – meaning the country has spent the last 18 months with nearly 100 million doses. 233 crore vaccine doses have been produced.
About 160 crore doses of Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute of India, 335 crore doses of Covaxin manufactured by Bharat Biotech and 65 crore doses of Corbevax manufactured by Biologicals E have been given to adults and children, and the dosages are taken as a precautionary measure.
Officials say that India’s achievement in developing not one but multiple vaccines for the Kovid-19 virus can be attributed to several systemic interventions at the leadership level. In a recent interview with News18, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya The U.S. said it was the vaccination campaign that “saved India” and resulted in a lower death rate, especially during the third wave of the pandemic this year.
Nine months after the Prime Minister launched the vaccination campaign on January 16, 2021, India crossed the 100 crore vaccination mark on October 21, 2021. While some experts had said that getting the next 100 crore vaccine doses would take longer and a bigger challenge, India has achieved the second 100 crore vaccinations within nine months. India had crossed the 150 crore mark on 7 January this year and 175 crore on 19 February this year.
About 71 percent of the 200 million vaccine doses in India are administered in rural areas and 48.9% of the vaccine doses are given to women, ensuring equality at all levels.
Efficient Vaccine Use Key
Officials say a record Rs 200 crore vaccine supply was augmented with less quantity of vaccines in each tranche to reduce vaccine stock in the pipeline and daily evaluation of vaccination performance in each state and UT and comparison with available stock achieved through frequency. To identify the next delivery timeline for that state and union territory.
Officials said India has managed to reduce wastage through regular reviews and has followed the mantra of “efficient use of each dose of vaccine”. Around 2135 crore vaccine syringes were mobilized for the vaccination program and amid the global shortage of syringes, the existing 1 ml and 2 ml syringes were marked for use for COVID-19 vaccination with 0.5 ml.
Special training was conducted for the vaccinators for efficient use of 1 ml, 2 ml and 3 ml syringes. India has built its vaccine distribution based on real-time monitoring of demand and supply, regular review of production capacity of vaccine manufacturers and its status and issuance of regulatory approvals for the release of manufactured batches.
Over 2.6 lakh immunizations and over 4.7 lakh immunization team members practiced at over 4.7 lakh government facilities and 22,000 private facilities. There was a close collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Civil Aviation, State Governments and vaccine manufacturers for the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine to 60 consignee points across the country within three days of leaving the factory.
Real time temperature monitoring and stock visibility across all stores through Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (EVIN) to leverage the existing robust vaccination supply chain. In addition to 26,000 ice lined refrigerators and deep freezers made available in 2020-21, more than 29,000 last mile cold chain points were used.
Officials said it should not be taken into account that India is home to around 17.5% of the world’s population, which includes 949 million adults and therefore it was a humble act to vaccinate all of them in a voluntary campaign.
Officials say that India set up a high-level task force for a COVID-19 vaccine as early as April 19, 2020, and to approve Kovashield and Covaxin for restricted emergency use on January 1 and 2, respectively, for the pandemic. Worked early on in your reaction mechanism. 2021. Production capacity was increased through facility enhancement, technology transfer, financial support and advance payments to vaccine manufacturers.
7-Step Vaccine Drive and CoWIN Portal
Officials also say that India adopted the mantra of a seven-stage vaccination campaign following the “priority of vaccine administration” based on scientific evidence and global best practices. In Phase 1, between January and February 2021, the vaccination campaign for healthcare workers and frontline workers was opened for the first time.
In Phase 2, between March and April 2021, vaccination was opened to people above 60 and between the age group of 45-59. In the third phase in May last year, immunization was offered in the private sector to persons above the age of 18 years and in June last year in phase 4 the vaccination was opened free to all those above the age of 18 years.
In Phase 5, from January this year, India introduced vaccination for adolescents aged 15-18 and then offered a precautionary dose to healthcare workers, frontline workers and a population of 60+ years with co-morbidities . In Phase 6, starting this March, vaccination was opened to children aged 12 to 14 years and precautionary dosing opened to all adults over the age of 60.
In Phase 7, ongoing from April, precautionary doses have been offered as a payment facility in private hospitals for the age group of 18-59 years, while on July 15 for all persons above 18 years of age in all government facilities Precautionary doses have been opened for free.
The latest move is expected to lead to an increase in the precautionary dosage, as seen in the past few days. India, in fact, expects to reach the 250 crore vaccination mark in the next 5-6 months on the strength of the precautionary dosing drive.
Another hero of the vaccination campaign has been the CoWin portal which has provided a reference point after the first dose for citizens to follow the vaccination schedule and get the second dose similar to the first. The CoWin portal has enabled multiple modes of registration, including offline walk-in, online, and support through help centers and call centers ensuring accessibility for all.
The portal has also helped the government to evaluate the geographical coverage of the vaccination campaign and get a view of each district at the state level.
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