India’s Covid-19 Vaccination Plan: 20-25 Crore People To Be Vaccinated By July 2021; Government Ramping Up Training, Capacity

The government expects to vaccinate 20-25 crore people with a vaccine effective against COVID-19 by July 2021 and has begun the work on ramping up human resource and training capacity on a massive scale, reports Times of India.

The development was made public by Union Minister of Health Dr Harsh Vardhan yesterday (4 October), who also shared that for the purpose, the Government expected to use 40-50 crore doses of the vaccine.

The Government has also asked the State Governments to submit the list of the population which would receive the vaccine on a priority.

The Health Minister said that these would include frontline workers from both government and private sectors, like doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitary staff, ASHA workers, surveillance officers, and people from other occupational categories who are involved in testing, tracing and treatment of Covid-19.

The vaccine will be procured by the government. Each consignment will be tracked on a real-time basis to ensure that they reach those who need it the most and that there is no black-marketing.

Dr Vardhan shared that a high-level committee headed by NITI Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul is drawing out the entire plan.

“This is a work in progress which will be completed by the time the vaccines are ready to ensure the swift rollout of an immunisation programme,” the Health Minister has been quoted in the Times of India report as saying.