India to rollout Covid-19 vaccination drive in 3,000 sites on Jan 16

The central government has selected 3,000 vaccination centres across India to roll out the Covid-19 vaccination on January 16. The Covid-19 vaccination drive will be rolled out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Three crore healthcare and frontline workers are set to be vaccinated first, free of cost.

New Delhi: The central government has selected 3000 vaccination sites across India to roll out the Covid-19 vaccination on Saturday even as Health Ministry has dispatched 1.65 crore doses of COVISHIELD and COVAXIN to all states and UTs.

The Covid-19 vaccination drive will be rolled out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Organised Medicine Academic Guild (OMAG), representing 250000 postgraduate doctors, is partnering with central government to initiate the world's largest vaccination drive on Saturday.

"We at the OMAG appeal to doctors and healthcare workers to take the vaccines fearlessly because both the vaccines are safe," said Dr Suneela Garg, president-elect at OMAG.

Garg said that the first three crore people (1 crore healthcare and 2 crore frontline workers) will be vaccinated first, free of cost.

In a message to its members, the OMAG has said that people can't choose between the available vaccines. "Please take whatever is offered to you. Two doses of the same vaccine are must to get adequate immunogenicity and efficacy," the OMAG said.

It said that there are several vaccines undergoing human clinical trials in India and are in the pipeline for the CDSCO nod. Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, whose phase II and III trials are being conducted by Dr Reddy's and locally developed Zydus Cadila's ZyCoV-D will start its phase III trial.

"Serum Institute of India's second vaccine NovaVax is considered for a phase III trial, Biological-E and Gennova Pune's mRNA based vaccine will begin phase I trials, and Bharat Biotech's second nasal vaccine candidate will also begin its trial," the OMAG said.

It further said that apex drug regulator has rejected Pfizer mRNA vaccine for restricted use, asking them to do a trial in India.

"Currently the developing world depends on India for medicines and several vaccines and it will be the same for Covid-19 vaccines as well. As of now, 60 percent of the vaccines used globally are manufactured in India," the OMAG said.

Meanwhile, Niti Aayog member Dr VK Paul has said that 3000 sites will conduct the vaccine rollout process.

"Whenever necessary we will increase the number of sites up to 5000 and more. One site will carry one session throughout the day," said Paul.

He further said that that the government has not taken any call on the issue of indemnity as suggested by the vaccine makers.

"No such decision has been taken yet on indemnity," said Dr Paul.

Vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII's) CEO Adar Poonawalla has reportedly said that without indemnity for vaccine makers, "supplies could be at risk."