New Delhi, Jan 5: The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said it is prepared to roll out COVID-19 vaccine within about a week, but a final decision on the launch date is yet to be taken.
At a press briefing, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said healthcare and frontline workers need not register themselves for the vaccination drive as their database has been uploaded on the Co-WIN vaccine delivery management system in a bulk.
The provision of registration and editing of data would arise while immunising the population priority group, he said.
“Based on the feedback from the dry-run of vaccination drive, the health ministry is ready to introduce COVID-19 vaccine within 10 days from the date of emergency use authorisation,” Bhushan said.
However, while responding to a question on the rollout of vaccines, Bhushan said the final decision will be taken by the government.
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had on Sunday approved Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Covishield and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech for restricted emergency use in the country.
NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr VK Paul said an optimistic scenario is emerging with the pandemic situation in India consistently improving in terms of active cases and new deaths declining.
“Let’s hope this trend will continue. In terms of the new UK mutant issue, this variant has entered this country and 71 people have been isolated. This shows our capacity to mount that kind of a scientific investigation.
On the two vaccines that have been granted approval for restricted emergency use by the DCGI, Paul reiterated that all scientific and statutory requirements have been met and regulatory norms followed while granting permission and authorisation.
“No vaccine today in any country has got regular authorisation. The world is exercising this option using scientific criteria and thinking to take decision in larger interest of public health and humanity,” he said. (PTI)
