New Delhi: The logistical and technical challenges in covering India’s population with multiple vaccine doses over a short period of time is a test that has not been faced anywhere before, India’s Covid-19 committee chief and NITI Aayog member (health) Dr V.K. Paul has said.
Paul noted three main concerns over the country’s Covid vaccination drive — scale of logistical and technological challenges, fear of misinformation, and the “global bogey” of adverse side effects.
“One, covering such a massive adult population with multiple doses over a relatively short period of time. Nowhere has such a technical logistical challenge been faced…” Paul said in an interview to The Times of India.
“Two, misinformation and false narratives; this we hope to counter with transparent, science-based communication. Three, that global bogey of AEFI (adverse events following immunisation). We do not expect serious side-effects once we begin, but such a related or unrelated possibility is there with any vaccine,” he said, adding that “rapid response system” has been put into place to look into any such concern.
The first phase of India’s Covid-19 vaccination seeks to target about 30 crore most-vulnerable people by mid-2021, according to a government statement.
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Covid vaccination programme
Speaking about India’s strengths in meeting this challenge, Paul sought to highlight the “weapons” of universal immunisation programme (UIP) combined with scientific and technical expertise.
The UIP, which is already in place, has been customised for Covid with micro-planning and monitoring systems.
“For Phase 1, we need 29,000 cold chains, 240 walk-in coolers, 70 walk-in freezers, 45,000 ice-lined refrigerators, 41,000 deep-freezers and 300 solar refrigerators,” the Covid panel chair said.
He added that training thousands of additional vaccinators is already under way. For this, state, district and block-level steering and coordination mechanism have been activated. An IT platform named Co-WIN is also being developed to facilitate the entire process and e-certification.
Elaborating on the standard operating procedure for the drive, Paul said the team has estimated that an on-ground team comprising at least two vaccinators plus volunteers for support can safely immunise 100 beneficiaries in a day.
“The number can increase if the team and logistics are strengthened,” he said.
The beneficiaries will be allotted a specific booth and given an appointment via either an SMS or verbally for the two doses. “Once both doses have been administered, a QR-based digital certificate will be issued. Adherence to SOPs including social distancing will be closely supervised,” he said.
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Priority group
Asked what “big data” his team will rely on to pick out the most vulnerable members of the population, the NITI Aayog member said the first priority group is 27 crore individuals above 50 and those below 50 with significant co-morbidities, and then three crore healthcare and other frontline workers.
About ‘queue-jumping’ by influential people, Paul said: “The responsibility for smooth and rules-based immunisation lies with state and district administrations. They are the one also to prevent queue-jumping and any other distortion of protocols.”
On the rollout of the vaccines, Paul said the priority target should be immunised within six-eight months after launch, “conditional on licensure for multiple machines and optimum supplies”.
But he added, “Even though not a single vaccine has yet been licensed for use here, we have reason to be optimistic.”
Centre-state cooperation is key
Asked about states jockeying for the vaccine, Paul said India’s Covid-19 response is an effort by the “whole of government, whole of nation and whole of society”.
The Centre and state governments have been working tirelessly on a daily basis, he said, adding Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “repeatedly interacted with chief ministers on the control strategy”.
“Cooperation is the only way,” Paul said.
‘Return to normal life’
Amid “hesitancy”, asked about how orders have risen for the Pfizer vaccine, which India hasn’t booked yet, or how AstraZeneca’s orders fell worldwide after AEFIs and the charge of its science being “opaque”, Paul said such doubts stem from several factors.
“Doubts about Covid-19 vaccines stem from competition/misinformation/general skepticism,” he said, adding that any vaccine licensed for India will have undergone strictest and unbiased scrutiny.
“A vaccine is our best shot at protection and a return to normal life,” Dr Paul added.
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