- Dr Vinod Paul (Member, Health, NITI Aayog)
Recently, the country has achieved 100 crore vaccinations. What does it mean for India?
This achievement is a momentous landmark for the country. India began the vaccination drive against COVID -19 on Jan 16, 2021.We first gave the vaccine to healthcare professionals and frontline workers, and then enlarged the circle of eligible population. Initially, there were just over three thousand vaccination centres across the country, today there are more than one lakh. As a result we have been able to vaccinate over 70-80 lakh people every day, which is more than the entire population of several countries. Not many in the world would have thought India could administer vaccine to a billion people in 9 months? And, that too with two vaccines made on the soil of India.It is a grand exemplar of Atma-nirbhar Bharat.
Apart from providing protection against the deadly disease, this success has given us confidence that we can handle a crisis of this magnitude on our own. Going forward, I am optimistic, that not only can we change the course of the pandemic globally, but also revolutionise the research and development to address other diseases effectively.
What challenges had to be addressed in this journey? What made this effort a success?
To reach here, the country overcame people’s apprehensions related to the safety and usefulness of the newly developed vaccines. Nine months on, the vaccines have been proved to be effective and highly safe. Vaccine hesitancy due to ignorance, bias and, at times. misleading propaganda has been largely overcome. Challenges of vaccine supply, transportation, cold chain dynamics and vaccine centre logistics were met building on the invaluable experience of the universal immunization program. Communication efforts were directed to educate, assure, motivate and prepare public through transparent, science- driven, consistent and multi-pronged messaging. Co-Win IT platform emerged as the master enabler for beneficiary interphase, session planning, certification and data management.
Our scientists, doctors, entrepreneurs, industry leaders have all contributed to this effort. Our science laboratories of DBT and ICMR have worked day and night. But ultimately, it is the relentless work of our healthcare teams who have been working with the community on the ground that has made the country achieve 100-crore vaccination. They have been fighting social and geographical odds at various levels to bring people to the vaccination centres. The 100 crore mark demonstrates the reach and resilience of our public health system.
What did the government do to facilitate, support and encourage research and development of the vaccines?
For a nation that is admired as the ‘pharmacy of the world’ and that delivers two-thirds of all the world’s vaccines for children – to pick up the challenge to develop/manufacture COVID-19 vaccines was a given. Prime Minister guided and mentored this journey from the very start.
The government established a task force as early as in April 2020 to oversee, support, encourage and monitor R&D initiatives amongst the research organizations and in the industry. Potential candidate vaccines were tracked and supported with research and development grants. Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) opened their laboratories for complex assays for research groups and industry. ICMR provided the vaccine virus strain to the industry to develop COVAXIN. DBTreadiedeighteen vaccine trial field sites that were used by industry for trials. Government launched a 900 Cr Mission COVID Suraksha to fund multi-level R&D effort. At least eight entities have received large grants. Government also made outright advance purchase commitment for a vaccine still under development.National expert group on vaccine implementation (NEGVAC) provided guidelines on vaccine program. Government teams have been in touch with manufacturers on a continuous basis, Regulatory steps were streamlined and all facilitation was ensured.
Today, made-in-India COVISHIELD (Serum) and COVAXIN (Bharat) have been the bedrock of our program so far. But our industry has lined up four other vaccines for potential use in coming months: a DNA vaccine (Zydus; already licenced), an mRNA vaccine (Gennova), a protein sub-unit vaccine (BioE) and an intranasal vector vaccine (Bharat). In addition, Indian companies have successfully ensured technology transfer for three foreign developed vaccines, namely, Sputnik light, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. This totals a bouquet of nine vaccines being produced in India. Which other nation has such a large portfolio of vaccines? All this will serve our cause fully, and fulfil global needs in near future.
What is the impact of this level of vaccine coverage on people; do they need to continue with precautions?
Three- fourths of the adult population of our vast nationthat has received at least one vaccine dose, has secured the shield of immunity. They all are largely protected against severe diseases and mortality due to COVID-19. This enables them to lead a near normal (the ‘new normal’) life. But they continue to be vulnerable to an extent to contract infection and spread it to others. Hence, all the vaccinated individuals must continue to take preventive precautions. All of us must wear mask, we should avoid crowds and gatherings, and closed indoors with many persons. Keep the chins of virus transmission suppressed. We should be doubly careful during the festival season. Let us have our celebrations at home, with the family. Avoid visiting busy markets and pandals. There will be festivals every year. But this year, our carelessness can give upper hand to the virus at an unacceptable cost to lives and livelihoods. If we are careful and have modest (yet spiritually satisfying) celebrations, we would avoid an upsurge in the pandemic. The next three months are absolutely critical for attaining a high vaccination coverage, and to simultaneously, avert any outbreak by responsible collective restraint and conduct.
What are your concerns at this stage?
The country is at a critical juncture right now. We have to accomplish a high vaccine coverage with full 2-dose course. We need to remain vigilant and keep looking for new virus variants. Occurrence of the variants of concern is unpredictable. A dangerous new variant in any part of the world is a threat for all; and that is the real worry. It is thebiggest unknown over which we have little control except to reduce transmission by all means. Our surveillance teams have to keep track of new variants, andour vaccine scientists and industry have to be ready to tweak the vaccines if required.In addition, search for an effective drug that averts progression of early infection into serious disease is an urgent need. This virus can only defeated by scientific tools and products.
