25 countries in queue for 'Made in India' COVID-19 vaccine: Foreign Minister Jaishankar
Amaravati, Feb 6: India has so far supplied COVID-19 vaccine to 15 countries and another 25 nations are in the queue at different levels for the jab, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here on Saturday.
He said there are three categories of countries which are keen to get the vaccine from India- poor, price sensitive nations and other countries which directly deal with pharmaceutical companies that make the antidote.
"I think right now we have already supplied to about 15 countries (as per my recollection).
I would say there would be another about 25 countries which are at different stages in the pipeline. But what it has done is today it has put India on the map of the world," Jaishankar told reporters in a press conference.
The minister said some poor countries are being supplied the vaccine on a grant basis while some nations wanted it on par with the price that the Indian Government pays to the vaccine makers.
Some countries have directcontractswith the Indian vaccine producing companies and have negotiated commercially, he said.
The Centre has already given the nod for two COVID-19 vaccines-- Covaxin of city-based Bharat Biotech and Covishield of Oxford, being manufactured by Serum Institute of India in Pune, which are being administered to frontline workers from January 16, under Emergency Use Authorisation.
Drug maker Dr Reddys recently said it will approach the Drug Regulator for the EUA for Russian vaccine Sputnik V in March.
Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modis idea was to establish the country as the "Pharmacy of the World", taking advantage of the domestic capabilities and the way India emerged as IT leader during the Y2K issue.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
