The panel will also look at expediting the entry of foreign-made COVID-19 vaccines for India, and examine logistics, pricing and the supply chain issues (Representative image: Reuters)

The Centre has set up an inter-ministerial panel consisting of COVID-19 Task Force Head VK Paul and senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Law Ministry to resolve issues regarding supply of COVID-19 vaccines into India.

Among the big issues this committee will tackle includes the indemnity clause which has been a bone of contention between the Centre and pharma manufacturer Pfizer, officials told The Economic Times.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Follow our LIVE blog on the COVID-19 pandemic here

Besides this, the panel will also look at expediting the entry of foreign-made COVID-19 vaccines for India, and examine logistics, pricing and the supply chain issues, they added.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

Show

COVID-19 | Centre sets up inter-ministerial panel to solve deadlock over vaccine issues: Report

The Indian government and Pfizer have been locked in a stalemate over the latter's demand of indemnity for its COVID-19 vaccine in India.

The panel will also look at expediting the entry of foreign-made COVID-19 vaccines for India, and examine logistics, pricing and the supply chain issues (Representative image: Reuters)

Related stories