Starting the new year on a note of optimism, the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has reportedly been approved for emergency use in India. Also known as 'Covishield,' the Oxford vaccine been designed in India in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India (SII). Union Minister Prakash Javadekar confirmed on Saturday that the Oxford vaccine has been given the green light, with three more vaccines awaiting approval in the pipeline. A dry vaccination run was initiated across several states on January 2. Read more about it here.
Latest reports also suggest India's indigenously developed Bharat Biotech vaccine has also received a nod from the central medical panel. It is yet to get approval, however, from the drug controller. As the country gears up for a mass COVID-19 vaccination programme, there are questions regarding the price of the vaccine, how it will be made available to the public, and who will get it first. Here's all you need to know:
Five Things To Know About Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine
1. India's approval of the Oxford vaccine comes on the tail of the United Kingdom's approval of the same. Earlier this week, the UK became the first country in the world to approve the Oxford University-developed vaccine. India, which had been awaiting clearance on the vaccine by the UK, also gave it a nod soon after. UK’s medicine regulator, Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation gave this approval.
2. AstraZeneca has reportedly gone through several clinical trials, receiving a go-ahead from medical authorities as an assurance of its safety.
3. Given the features of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which comprises easy transportation and refrigeration at regular temperatures, its rollout is expected to be swift.
4. Medical experts have recorded no side or ill effects of the vaccine after trials.
5. The Guardian notes that while the Oxford vaccine had only 62 percent efficacy in a large sample size, efficacy was 90 percent when tested on a small group that was first given a half dose, and then a full one four weeks later.
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Who Will Get The Vaccine First?
1. The COVID-19 vaccine, once available in India, will first be given to health and frontline workers. This section has reportedly further been divided into various segments, like child services workers, nurses, officers, paramedics, etc.
2. Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday that in the first phase of vaccination, over three crore medical workers will be inoculated. "Free #vaccine shall be provided across the nation to most prioritised beneficiaries that incl 1 crore healthcare & 2 crore frontline workers," he wrote on Twitter.
3. People on the priority list to receive the vaccine also includes elderly citizens aged over 50 and 60. Areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases will also be vaccinated first, according to NDTV.
4. The general population will be inoculated once the priority list is checked off. Vaccination will proceed in an orderly manner with pre-determined schedules.
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How Much Will The Vaccine Cost?
1. As of Saturday, the central Health Minister has stated that the COVID-19 vaccine will be provided to the public free of cost across India.
2. The Delhi government's health minister Satyendar Jain, after the state's dry run, was quoted saying, "The vaccine will be provided free of cost in Delhi. 1000 centers will be set up for this task. 1 lakh people from phase-1 will be vaccinated on a daily basis."
3. Reacting to the claim, Dr Vardhan was quoted saying, "Not just in Delhi, it will be free across the country."
4. A report in The Guardian, however, states that SII has stocked around 50 million doses of the Oxford vaccine, "which will be sold to the government at about 250 rupees a dose and 1,000 rupees on the private market."
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How Can I Get A Vaccine?
1. According to a Hindustan Times report, nearly 150,000 vaccinators have been trained across 700 districts so far, for the vaccination dry run.
2. When the actual vaccine is made available, a five-member strong team will reportedly manage the event from registrations through the jab.
3. Reports suggest in the coming months, the general public will be able to self-register online on CoWIN, the coronavirus tracking app. Following the identification process, a time slot for vaccination will be allotted to the registered individual.
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