India may miss COVAX share of covid-19 vaccines as it nears 40% coverage of eligible population
Premium- The WHO is of the view that the countries that have vaccinated over 40% of their population should not be given more vaccines
NEW DELHI : As India is slated to soon cover 40% of its eligible population with both shots of covid-19 vaccines, it may miss on its share of vaccines through the COVAX facility, a World Health Organization (WHO) led multilateral initiative to foster global access to covid-19 vaccines.
The WHO is of the view that the countries that have vaccinated over 40% of their population should not be given more vaccines. India is a major player in manufacturing covid-19 vaccines was expected to get close to 98 million coronavirus vaccines through COVAX. Coordinated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the WHO, COVAX aim is to have 2 billion doses available by the end of 2021, which should be enough to protect high risk and vulnerable people.
According to the WHO, for lower-income funded nations, who would otherwise be unable to afford these vaccines, as well as a number of higher-income self-financing countries that have no bilateral deals with manufacturers, COVAX is quite literally a lifeline and the only viable way in which their citizens will get access to covid-19 vaccines.
While last week, the WHO granted Emergency Use Listing of Covaxin, the 8th vaccine to receive WHO validation, the apex global health agency’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been consistently pointing out of inequality in the distribution of vaccines.
“Most low-income countries are relying on the UN-backed international COVAX initiative. The initiative has the money and the contracts needed, but “manufacturers haven't played their part." No more vaccines should go to countries that have already vaccinated more than 40% of their population, until COVAX has the vaccines it needs to help other countries get there too," said Tedros.
“No more boosters should be administered, except to immunocompromised people, he said and repeated his call for a moratorium on the extra shots. According to WHO, low-income countries have only received 0.4% of the world’s vaccines. Majority of developed countries have already completed over 50% of full vaccination of their citizens. UAE has covered over 88% of its population with full vaccination followed by Chile, Spain (both 80%) and Uruguay 75%, according to a dashboard called ourworldindata.org.
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya on November said that India has administered first covid-19 vaccine doses to 78% of the eligible population and over 35% of the eligible people have received both the doses.
As indicated at COVAX's interim distribution forecast, published on February 3, India was expected to get 97.1 million doses of covishield alone which is developed by Oxford- AstraZeneca and being manufactured by Pune's Serum Institute of India. Covishield is already one of the major vaccines being administered in India’s national covid-19 vaccination program. India was also expected to receive foreign made vaccines. Recently Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of the WHO South-East Asia said that India has been offered 7.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine through COVAX. However, there is no clarity so far when the jabs would be available in the country as WHO said that the availability is “subject to clearance of indemnity clause."
India’s countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on 16th Jan 2021 with vaccination of healthcare workers (HCWs) and vaccination of the frontline workers (FLWs) started from 2nd Feb 2021.The second phase of covid-19 vaccination commenced from 1st March 2021 for those who are over 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions following which the third phase was rolled out from April 1st 2021 covering all persons above 45 years of age irrespective of comorbidities. The government later announced to provide free covid-19 vaccines to all adults from 21st June.
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