Vaccines – Facts
1. Existing manufacturing capacity of the Vaccines:
· Serum Institute Covishield - 20 lakh doses per day.
· Bharat Biotech Covaxi - 0.4 lakh doses per day.
2. As per Swaminathan, roughly 20 lakhs vaccine doses on each day. It means 600 lakhs or 6 crores per month.
| Population Percentage | Population In Crores | 2 Doses In Crores | Period Months |
above 18+ | 75% | 105 crores | 210 | 35 |
Above 45+ | 39.4% | 56 crores | 112 | 18+ |
3. Already 14.9 crore doses given; only 255 lakhs given two doses.
4. Likely dates based on Existing Capacities:
· For 18+ - May 2024.
· For 45+ - Dec 2022.
5. Additional doses to cater for third wave–unforeseen contingency.
Suggestions
6. Fast track clearance of other indigenous vacancies by expert panel followed by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) - Zydus Cadila’s ZyCoV-D; Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine - Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd; Hyderabad-based Biological E (BE); Pune-based Genova Pharmaceuticals Ltd; and Novavx by Serum Institue; and BBV154 - intranasal vaccine by Bharat Bio=Tech.
7. Import vaccines from foreign countries as an interim measure.
8. R & D funding considered appropriate.
9. Pricing control.
Vaccination to all; A farce claim!
By
(MS Shanker)
Whom are Indian politicians fooling? Also, the media like headless chickens indulging in cacophony. Especially on promise to vaccinate the entire 139 crore population of India! Aren’t these people – whether the prime minister Narendra Modi, may be under pressure, and the discarded Congress leader Rahul Gandhi – knowing well that the existing two pharma companies, which are producing the Covishield by the Serum Institute, Pune, and Covaxin by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotec.
As a matter of fact, as per the data gathered from reliable sources by your website reveals that the existing manufacturing capacity of these vaccines are just 20 lakh+ doses per day. While the Serum Institute is producing 20 lakh Covishield vaccine doses, then the Bharat Biotech the Covaxin of a mere 0.4 lakh doses per day. At this pace, both together cannot produce more than 600+ lakh doses per month and may 72+ cr vaccines in a year.
Even, if these two pharma companies ramp up their production to the maximum – that’s doubling their existing capacity, even then, it is simply not possible to vaccinate all for at least next half a decade or so.
That being the fact, one may wish to ask the government as well the opposition, to ponder how many years a nation like India with population of over 139 crore can vaccinate its entire population? Does any of them – either the responsible Centre or the equally irresponsible Opposition – ever thought to do some home work in either demanding or assuring the people with ‘fake’ promises?
For example, the above 45 of age population is estimated to be around 56 crore of the 139 crore and require 112 crore doses and it may take a minimum of 18 months. Similarly, above 18+ age group population is estimated around 105 crore and require 210 crore vaccine doses which takes at least 35 months for administering.
According to official figures of the Union Ministry of Medical and Health, the government has successfully administered around 14.9 crore people of the first dose and only 2.55 crore got the requisite two doses, till date.
Coming under pressure, the Union government might have announced to take up vaccination of 18 years and above from May 1, considering the growing demand of the ‘irresponsible’ Opposition and so called ‘panicked’ experts, but it’s unlikely to take off. Where are the vaccines?
Though, India’s all weather-friend Russia might have assured to provide its ‘Sputnik’ vaccine, but can ensure supplies them in big numbers to meet India’s requirement? Well, the US too has promised to help India to overcome the prevailing pandemic crisis allow its Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson to ramp up their production to meet our demand? How cost effective will their vaccines will be? Can India afford to pay the price that these multinational pharma’s demand?
Meanwhile, the ‘fast track’ clearance of other indigenously developed vacancies by various companies needs ‘quick clearances’ from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). The other vaccine developers are; Zydus Cadila’s ‘ZyCoV-D’; Sputnik V covid-19 vaccine by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd and Hyderabad-based Biological E (BE); Pune-based Genova Pharmaceuticals Ltd; and “Novavx” by Serum Institue; besides ‘BBV154’ intranasal vaccine by Bharat Bio-Tech.
Till the above mentioned companies get clearances from the Regulatory authorities, it may be advisable to Import vaccines from foreign countries as an interim measure. Yet, better to concentrate on developing our own R & D by funding judiciously on priority basis.
And, the most challenging to the Modi government is ‘price control’ as the judiciary too chipped-in by entertaining petitions questioning the pricing of these vaccines. So, it is more or less a chaotic condition prevails with confusion all over as the states, though wants to enjoy the right to ‘say’ under so called federal structure of democracy, but would not like to shoulder the responsibility to save their own people who are dying in hundreds and thousands every day. Instead of addressing the problem, they are in turn indulged in ‘blame game’ and putting undue pressure on the Centre.
In that backdrop, the Modi government should show some spin to reign-in the irresponsible Opposition, may be with some punitive action for baseless and ‘farce propaganda’ under the existing laws, and chalk-out strategy to mop up resources – internal and external – and get required vaccines – that’s 300+ crore – by hook or crook and vaccinate the entire population in may be less than a year and half or so. If that happens, the Opposition, which already lost its credibility, will further get eroded.
Comment by Brig (Retd) G B Reddy: Also add “Booster Dose” after 6-8 months. Surely, the Supreme Court with all its intellectual staff could have easily worked out the requirements and advise the Central and State Governments to stop playing vicious politics.
0 Comments