Vial Fever
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If 2020 was all about Stayin’ Alive, 2021 will bring with it a fresh set of challenges — with vaccines making a steady progress, Bengaluru could see an outbreak of...
If 2020 will be remembered as the year of thecoronavirus and the devastation it wrecked on humanity, then 2021 will probably go down in history as the year of the vaccine. In the next few years, governments and health professionals will face the daunting task of distributing the vaccine and inoculating people with it. But that’s not the least of it.
We’re still in the trial stage and already there is news that a 40-year-old man fromChennai , who volunteered for the third phase of the covid vaccine trial conducted by the Serum Institute of India (SII), has filed a 5-crore compensation claim. In the legal notice sent by the law firm representing him, it says the claim is, “for a serious adverse event after being administered the under-trial vaccine”.
Experts say that one can also expect a lot of legal wrangles once the vaccines are rolled out to masses especially when the vaccine makers are saying that the efficacy of various vaccines can be between 60 per cent to 94 per cent. Dr. Sachin D (Consultant – Interventional Pulmonology, Critical Care And Sleep Medicine Specialist), said, “Many of these covid vaccines are being released in an accelerated schedule and some of these have got emergency approval due to the currentpandemic . However they require stringent post-distribution monitoring to track any adverse events to avoid such mishaps.”
Meanwhile, another doctor said that we are still in nascent stages as far as vaccines are to be understood. “We have an example of a pentavalent vaccine where there were many unexplained side effects and news of a few deaths too. So, this needs to be understood when we are going ahead with vaccinating masses for a potential covid vaccine.”
A health professional speaking on the condition of anonymity said, “Don’t be surprised if you hear of vaccination thefts, counterfeit vaccines, vaccines sold in the black market, fake news on social media about vaccines that could create law and order problems. Another major challenge would be to convince people about taking the vaccine.” Oommen C Kurian (Senior Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi) said, “The primary challenge will be to find the right mix of vaccines to roll out across the country – a combination of indigenous and imported ones. However, reaching an ethical and equitable vaccine distribution plan through a transparent process will be the first step towards overall coverage.”
Not likePulse Polio program
Though India had success in pulse polio campaign, covid may throw up unique challenges.Atanu Biswas (Professor of Statistics, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata) points out that “the covid vaccine program will be different from the government-run polio immunisation program. The covid vaccine will have to be administered to 1.35 billion people but the polio program currently targets 26.7 million new-borns and 29 million pregnant women every year. The covid vaccine will be an intra-muscular injection, and this it will require nurses, doctors and medical students to deliver the vaccine. It cannot be administered by ASHA workers and others, as is the case for polio vaccination. Transportation and storage of vaccines is the other challenge.”
Follow-ups
Biswas also adds that follows up are important after the vaccine has been administered to check “if it has been effective and it has any side effects. Also we really don’t know how long these vaccines will remain effective. If we need to be vaccinated again after a year or so, such data might be useful. Understandably, it is never easy to follow up with such a huge population. Many people think the Aadhaar database may effectively come into play for this.”
According to Dr Sachin D, there could be challenges with regard to procurement, storage, distribution and monitoring of covid vaccine. He suggests an IT-based tracking and analysis system to ensure the process is well monitored.
Experts also say that the cost of the vaccine will still play a decisive role. Dr B Suresh (President, Pharmacy Council of India and Pro-Chancellor JSS Academy of Higher Education) said, “Considering storage requirements and cost of the vaccines, it is important that India continues its efforts to develop an indigenous vaccine. “ Dr US Vishal Rao (regional director of head and neck surgicaloncology and robotic surgery, HCG Cancer Centre ) said the vaccine supply chain is a five-tiered one which includes national vaccine stores, regional stores, state, district and then the community centres. “Each tier needs to factor in storage and distribution. In these cases, it can be a significant cost to the health care system, to the tune of thousands of crores, and can also lead to large drain on public health resources for our country.”
Which vaccine?
With multiple vaccine candidates, the biggest challenge for India would be to decide on the most cost-effective and practical vaccine for our country, says Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals. “Till such time we complete the vaccination of all our citizens, we should not let our guard down.”
If 2020 will be remembered as the year of the
We’re still in the trial stage and already there is news that a 40-year-old man from
The SII, however, has called the allegations “malicious and misconceived” and threatened to seek damages to the tune of Rs 100 crore, PTI reported.
Experts say that one can also expect a lot of legal wrangles once the vaccines are rolled out to masses especially when the vaccine makers are saying that the efficacy of various vaccines can be between 60 per cent to 94 per cent. Dr. Sachin D (Consultant – Interventional Pulmonology, Critical Care And Sleep Medicine Specialist), said, “Many of these covid vaccines are being released in an accelerated schedule and some of these have got emergency approval due to the current
Meanwhile, another doctor said that we are still in nascent stages as far as vaccines are to be understood. “We have an example of a pentavalent vaccine where there were many unexplained side effects and news of a few deaths too. So, this needs to be understood when we are going ahead with vaccinating masses for a potential covid vaccine.”
The vaccine supply chain is a five-tiered one which includes national vaccine stores, regional stores, state, district and then the community centres. Each tier needs to factor in storage and distribution... It can be a significant cost to the health care system.
A health professional speaking on the condition of anonymity said, “Don’t be surprised if you hear of vaccination thefts, counterfeit vaccines, vaccines sold in the black market, fake news on social media about vaccines that could create law and order problems. Another major challenge would be to convince people about taking the vaccine.” Oommen C Kurian (Senior Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi) said, “The primary challenge will be to find the right mix of vaccines to roll out across the country – a combination of indigenous and imported ones. However, reaching an ethical and equitable vaccine distribution plan through a transparent process will be the first step towards overall coverage.”
Not like
Though India had success in pulse polio campaign, covid may throw up unique challenges.
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Follow-ups
Biswas also adds that follows up are important after the vaccine has been administered to check “if it has been effective and it has any side effects. Also we really don’t know how long these vaccines will remain effective. If we need to be vaccinated again after a year or so, such data might be useful. Understandably, it is never easy to follow up with such a huge population. Many people think the Aadhaar database may effectively come into play for this.”
According to Dr Sachin D, there could be challenges with regard to procurement, storage, distribution and monitoring of covid vaccine. He suggests an IT-based tracking and analysis system to ensure the process is well monitored.
Experts also say that the cost of the vaccine will still play a decisive role. Dr B Suresh (President, Pharmacy Council of India and Pro-Chancellor JSS Academy of Higher Education) said, “Considering storage requirements and cost of the vaccines, it is important that India continues its efforts to develop an indigenous vaccine. “ Dr US Vishal Rao (regional director of head and neck surgical
Which vaccine?
With multiple vaccine candidates, the biggest challenge for India would be to decide on the most cost-effective and practical vaccine for our country, says Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals. “Till such time we complete the vaccination of all our citizens, we should not let our guard down.”
