Dose too far

It will take some time before non-priority groups get the vaccine

- NAMITA KOHLI

WITH ITS “STAGGERED” procurement of 1.1 crore doses of Serum Institute of India’s Covishield (at ₹200 plus taxes a dose) and 55 lakh doses of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin (at ₹295 a dose), India has kicked off what is said to be the world’s largest immunisation drive against Covid-19.

In the first phase, three crore health care and frontline workers will be administered two shots of either of the approved vaccines, four weeks apart. While the vaccine launch may signal the beginning of the end of the pandemic, when it comes to public health priorities, the government will have to do a balancing act. One of the challenges is to ensure access and equity in vaccine distribution. Another is about building a strong mechanism to report adverse events.

“Despite all the planning, there will be some hiccups,” said Dr Vineeta Bal, former professor, National Institute of Immunology, Delhi. “For instance, at some places they may be related to cold chains and logistics. At others, a doctor may not be able to reach on time to deal with an adverse event.” The government’s plan of drawing upon the country’s experience and mechanisms of conducting elections may not work. That process does not involve taking informed consent and counselling, both of which are essential in a vaccination drive, she said. “Though vaccines are safe and adverse events rare, it would be crucial to rightly identify any events post immunisation, and be able to provide timely and adequate treatment,” said Bal.