Oxford COVID-19 vaccine could be available in India by February 2021.
The fore-running Covid vaccine candidates have reached the threshold of the final trials and are just a few months away from a rollout. While it is a sigh of relief that the wait for a vaccine is about to end, meeting flawless supply chain management in the logistics of the vaccines is another challenge where the government needs to work with logistic partners.
PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that vaccines are in the last leg of their trials and asked the states to set up task force/steering committees at the district or block level to prepare for the COVID-19 vaccine programme. He specifically asked the states to begin working on cold storage facilities for the vaccine and assured that whatever will be made available to Indians will be safe “according to all scientific standards”.
Experts feel that the demand to produce and supply vaccines for over 1.3 billion people poses a great challenge to the government. It is anticipated to be the largest and fastest operation ever undertaken of vaccine procurement and distribution.
MASSIVE CHALLENGE
Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla said that while the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine could be available in India by February 2021, it will take two-three years for the entire population to get inoculated not due to the supply constraints but because "you need the budget, the vaccine, logistics, infrastructure and then, people should be willing to take the vaccine".
Ambrish Kumar, Founder of Zipaworld, said that India faces a massive challenge in the form of distribution and logistics of the vaccine. He said that considering the reduction in air cargo capacity and the consequent high air freight costs, this could hinder the dire need of making the vaccines reach every nook and corner. In India, he said that vaccines require express transportation and large cold storage facilities at transit points. Besides, there would be a high demand for professionals and experts.
SECURITY
Another factor that will require the government's urgent attention is security. "The security concerns of the agencies involved in logistics for the vaccines cannot be ignored. The panic can lead to cases of pilferage, tampering, robbery, during the transit. Logistics of vaccines would require special planning, secured loading and safeguarding throughout its movement like that of valuable goods like gold, silver, currency notes, etc." he said.
COLD CHAIN INFRA
Lancy Barboza, MD of Flomic Global Logistics Ltd, said that cold chain logistics is a neglected area in India. Although the government has been ramping up the infrastructure on a war footing, a lot is required to be done in the field.
"Both on the storage and transportation front, we have not developed the infrastructure to the extent of demand yet. This existing deficiency will add to the challenges of COVID-19 vaccine distribution," he said.
"The government will have to set up storage facilities near to all commercial and military airports as air transport will ensure the fastest distribution of the vaccines across the country. There will also be a huge demand for data loggers, last-mile small and micro storage devices, etc," Lancy said.
WHO WILL GET IT FIRST
Notably, the government has already identified one crore frontline healthcare professionals (doctors, MBBS students, nurses, and ASHA workers) who will receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine whenever it becomes available. The vaccine will be then made available to the frontline workers including municipal corporation workers, personnel of the police, and armed forces. Another category that will be inoculated will be 26 crore people aged above 50 and a special category of those below 50 with co-morbidities and requiring specialised care. The remaining population will be given a shot later.
In India, there are five vaccine candidates that are in advanced stages of development. While four are in Phase II/III and one is in Phase-I/II trials.
