New Delhi:Niti Aayog member (Health) and National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration (NEGVAC) Chairman Dr. VK Paul on Thursday debunked the seven myths related to the ongoing Kovid-19 vaccination campaign in the country.- Made it happen.
NITI Aayog said in a statement that these myths are spreading due to distortion of statements, half-truths and openly spoken lies. Let us know what is the reality of the myths being spread about the vaccination campaign ...
Myth-1: The Center is not making proper efforts to procure vaccines from other countries.
Reality: Dismissing this, Dr. Paul said that the central government has been in constant contact with all the major international vaccine manufacturers since the mid-2020s.
In the meantime, several rounds of negotiations have been held with Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna. The government has offered all kinds of help to those manufacturers for the supply and manufacture of vaccines in India.
However, it is not the case that vaccines of these companies are available free of cost for supply. We have to explain that there is limited supply of vaccines globally.
In such a situation, companies also have their own priorities, plans and compulsions. They have to give priority to the country where the vaccine is being manufactured.
As our own vaccine manufacturers have done for the country. As soon as Pfizer indicated the availability of the vaccine, the central government and the company began preparing for the vaccine's earliest import.
The efforts of the Government of India accelerated the trials of Sputnik Vaccine and also got the green signal in time. Russia has been able to send two consignments of the vaccine as well as transfer the technology.
Very soon our companies will start manufacturing the vaccine.
Myth-2: The Center has not approved globally available vaccines.
Reality: The central government has simplified the process of entry and use of vaccines in the country in April, in the emergency use list of the US agency FDA, EMA, UK MHRA and Japan's PMDA and World Health Organization (WHO) Has been included.
These vaccines will not need to undergo bridging tests as before. Amendments have also been made to other provisions. Currently, no foreign vaccine manufacturer's application is pending with the drug controller.
Myth-3: Center is not making proper efforts to accelerate domestic production of vaccines.
Reality: Dr. Paul says that since the beginning of the year 2020, the central government has been playing the role of a facilitator to enable more and more companies to produce vaccines.
Only one Indian company (Bharat Biotech) has an IP (Intellectual Property). The central government has ensured that India Biotech will increase its production capacity, as well as three other companies / plants will also start production of covaxine. Thus, now covaccine will be produced in four units instead of one.
Bharat Biotech is going to increase the production of covalents from 1 crore per month to 10 crore per month by October. Apart from this, four crore dose production target has been fixed for all the three PSUs till December.
With the encouragement of the government, the Serum Institute is increasing the production of Kovishield from 6.5 crore to 11 crore doses per month. The Indian government, in partnership with Russia, is also ensuring that the Sputnik vaccine is manufactured by six companies in coordination with Dr. Reddy.
The central government is providing financial support as well as technical assistance in national laboratories under the Covid protection scheme for indigenous vaccines of Zydus Cadila, BioE as well as Genoa.
The development of an India biotech single dose intranasal (nasal) vaccine is also progressing well with the financial support of the government.
It can prove to be a game changer for the world. The production of over 200 crore doses by our vaccine industry by the end of the year 2021 is the result of similar efforts, support and partnership.
With regard to these efforts being made in traditional as well as state-of-the-art DNA and mRNA platforms, how many countries can only dream of building with such huge potential.
The Government of India and the vaccine manufacturers have acted as Team India in this mission non-stop.
Myth-4: The Center should implement compulsory licensing.
Reality: According to NITI Aayog member Dr. Paul, compulsory licensing is not a very attractive option. It is not even a formula that matters much. However, the highest level of active participation, training of human resources, provision of raw materials and bio-safety laboratories is needed.
The transfer of technology is a key and is under the authority of the company that has researched and developed it.
We have, in fact, gone a step ahead of compulsory licensing and are ensuring active participation between Bharat Biotech and three other entities to increase production of covaxine. The same is being done for Sputnik.
Just think, Moderna said in October 2020 that she would not sue any other company making her vaccine. Despite this, not a single company has been able to produce Moderna's vaccine so far. This suggests that licensing is an extremely small problem.
If the vaccine were so easy to make, why would there be such a shortage of its dose even in developed countries?
Myth-5: Center has left its responsibility to the states.
Reality: Dr. Paul says that the central government is doing all the big things. These include everything from funding vaccine manufacturers to quickly approving them to speed up production for vaccine supplies in India.
The vaccine purchased by the Center is given to the states for free application to the people. This is all in the knowledge of the states.
The Government of India has only enabled the states to try to procure vaccines themselves after their request. States are well aware of the country's production capacity and the difficulties in procuring vaccines directly from abroad.
The Government of India conducted the entire immunization program from January to April and it was much better than the situation in May.
However, states that could not achieve the expected success in the vaccination of health programs and frontline patients in these three months wanted to expand and decentralize the vaccination process.
Health is a state subject and the liberalized vaccine policy was the result of frequent requests by states to give them more rights. The truth is that their global tenders yielded no results.
It also confirms that there is a shortage of vaccines worldwide and it is not easy to buy them in a short time. We are telling the same thing to the states from day one.
Myth-6: Center is not giving enough vaccine to the states.
Reality: According to NEGVAC President Dr. Paul, the Center is allocating adequate vaccines in a transparent manner to the states as per the guidelines. The truth is that states are already being informed about the availability of the vaccine.
Vaccine availability is going to increase soon. After this, more supply will be possible. In the non-government medium, the states are getting 25 per cent and private hospitals are getting 25 per cent.
However, people are facing difficulties and problems in getting these 25 percent dose, which tells a lot.
Despite full knowledge of the facts related to vaccine supply, the behavior of some of our leaders appearing on TV every day causes panic in the people and this is very unfortunate.
This is not the time to do politics. We all need to be united in this fight.
Myth-7: The Center is not taking any steps to vaccinate children.
Reality: Dr. Paul says that so far no country in the world is giving vaccines to children.
Not only this, the WHO has also not recommended any vaccination of children. Studies have been conducted about the safety of vaccines in children and have been encouraging. Vaccine testing on children is going to start soon in India too.
However, vaccination of children should not be decided on the basis of the panic being spread in WhatsApp groups, as some politicians want to do politics on the issue. The decision in this subject will be taken by our scientists only after adequate data is available on the basis of tests.
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