Ahead of the vaccine rollout, which the prime minister calls as the world’s largest covid-19 vaccination drive, will hold a meeting with the chief ministers on the rollout which is scheduled for January 16. This will be Mod’s first meeting with the chief ministers after 2 vaccines - Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Pune based-Serum Institute of India's Covishield - were permitted for emergency use by the drug regulator DCGI last week.
Hours after holding a high-level meeting with senior officials to examine the coronavirus situation in the country, the prime minister on Saturday tweeted: "On 16th January, India takes a landmark step forward in fighting COVID-19. Starting that day, India's nation-wide vaccination drive begins. Priority will be given to our brave doctors, healthcare workers, frontline workers including Safai Karamcharis."
Three coronavirus vaccine dry runs, including two dry runs across the country, has been conducted by the government to test the delivery system.
To manage the huge vaccination drive - CoWIN (Covid Vaccine Intelligence Network) app will be used by the Centre. CoWIN will trace the individual vaccine beneficiaries, more than 79 lakh of whom have been registered on the platform.
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Covid-19 Vaccine will be given to the priority group including 1 crore healthcare workers to be vaccinated first followed by 2 crore frontline workers, like policemen and ITBP personnel. Twenty-seven crore people, above 50 years of age, and those with co-morbidities, will be next on the vaccination list.
Covaxin and Covishield are two-dose vaccines, thus, a person will need two doses each for maximum protection against the virus. Both can also be stored at normal fridge temperatures (two to eight degrees Celsius) which makes it easier to transport and store the crores of vessels needed to vaccinate the country's big population.