How I got my COVID-19 Vaccine In India

vaccine 

As India slowly develops its own vaccine to combat the current COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is asking when they will be able to get a shot of it, which will most likely return a semblance of “normalcy” to their lives.

The National Advisory Group on Vaccine Administration (NEGVAC), a government-sponsored expert body, has established a prioritization list to classify the most vulnerable groups in order to reduce death rates and the pressure on the healthcare system.

• Who will get the vaccine first? 

Healthcare staff (HCWs) are the first in line to get the vaccine, as you might have guessed. Doctors, nurses, and other emergency workers would be among the first to get vaccines. According to the NEGVAC, there are approximately 1 crore HCWs in the world.

Frontliner

Frontline employees (FLWs), who include state and central police officers, the home guard, the security services, and civil defense agencies, including civic workers and emergency relief volunteers, are ranked second on the priority list. The total number of FLWs in the country is estimated to be about two crores.

Following these two categories, the advisory panel established a prioritized age demographic, which includes those over the age of 50 and those under the age of 50 who have related comorbidities. According to the data gathered by the expert group, India's population of such people is estimated to be about 27 crores.

The people over 50 years old have been split into two groups: those over 60 years old and those between 50 and 60 years old. This division was made to allow for phasing of the rollout depending on the pandemic condition and vaccine supply.

• How many vaccinators does India have?

Just 1.54 lakh of India's 2.39 lakh vaccinators (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife-ANM) would be used to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine shots, according to the country's central government. The aim of not using any of them is to reduce the impact on routine healthcare programs, such as routine immunization, around the world.

• What’s India’s cold chain capacity for vaccine storage?

cold storage 

According to the government, the new cold chain will store vaccines for the first three crore health workers throughout the country.

Furthermore, the government announced that the strategy and equipment were in place to begin mass production of COVID-19 vaccines as soon as scientists and researchers give their approval.

People who do not fall into the selected groups for phase 1 launch need not worry, as the NEGVAC has formulated a comprehensive and authentic schedule for rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine. In the coming months, the panel will undoubtedly have a scheme in motion to cover the remaining population of the region.