Tomorrow is a big day for India, as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will launch the pan-India rollout of 2 COVID 19 vaccines Covaxin and Covishield, as they get formally approved for what could be the world’s largest vaccination drive. The launch will be held at 10.30 am virtually by the Prime Minister and will be covering 3006 session sites across all states and UTs virtually.
The vaccines developed by the Astra Zeneca with Oxford University and local firm Bharat Biotech will be part of the drive that could inoculate about 300 million people on priority basis this year. Nationwide mock drills have been conducted to prepare healthcare workers for the vaccination drive. In Tamil Nadu, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan supervised the dry run operations during his visit to Tamil Nadu in the first week of Jan.
The Covishield vaccine which is developed by Astra Zeneca with Oxford University is being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. The Institute is currently producing 50 million doses a month and according to its CEO Adar Poonawalla, is aiming for a production of 100 million does a month after regulatory approval.
The online platform being used to monitor vaccination stocks, storage temperature and individual tracking of beneficiaries for COVID 19 is Co-WIN. A dedicated 24/7 call center -1075 has been established to address all queries related to the software, vaccine roll-out and the COVID 19 pandemic.
The Health Ministry announced that Bharat Biotech plans to donate 16.5 lakh worth of vaccines and is charging the government only for 55 lakh doses at Rs.206 per dose. The Serum Institute of India is charging Rs. 200 per dose for 1.1 crore doses. (as published by moneycontrol.com)
Interesting.