SunstarTV Bureau: India may get the first slot of coronavirus vaccines in late January or early February 2021 informed Health Minister Harsh Vardhan .
The vaccine named Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 is currently in its final phase of testing in India on a candidate. The Central government is in the final process of signing a contract with vaccine manufacturers for the procurement of potential vaccine doses. However, this will be possible after getting emergency use approval by the Serum Institute of India (SII). However getting permission from Indian regulatory body alone is not enough. Similar approval from UK is essential.
If the vaccine arrives by February, frontline workers such as doctors, nurses, municipal employees, and armed forces will be vaccinated first. A report in Times of India (TOI) says that the government may get the two-shot vaccine developed by the University of Oxford at 50 per cent less than MRP, which is estimated to be of Rs 500-600 per dose. The Health Minister affirms that the vaccine is likely to arrive within next 2 months.
50-60 crore doses will be required to immunise 25-30 crore prioritised population, categorised into four different groups. Yet, an estimated 70 lakh healthcare professionals and over 2 crore frontline workers will be given the vaccine with limited stocks by the end of January.
Regulatory sources also told that Bharat Biotech is in action for publishing data for its vaccine- COVAXIN, which is India’s first indigenous vaccine against COVID-19.
