Let an open market for vaccines fulfill demand

News: India’s state-run covid vaccination drive was primarily aimed at pandemic mitigation for public health.

Outcomes/Impressive coverage of the India’s Vaccine Program

A vast proportion of our adult population has got one or more shots, for example More than 1.8 billion doses have been administered so far.

The Children aged 15 years and above were made eligible for covid jabs in the later stages of the programme (Also, the 12-14-years age group will be covered)

The co-morbidity conditions have also dropped for people above 60year who had a booster shot to supplement the usual double-jab regimen.

Average of daily infections is under 4,000, and the virus has lost virulence. It has lessened the risk.

What are the challenges in India’s vaccine programme?

The government has a limited capacity for immunizing the population of India. For example, there was a low outlay for this.

Slow pace of expansion of eligibility: Some parents also want under-12s immunized (as kids aged above 4 are eligible in the US),

Individuals aged under 60 who were vaccinated in early-2021 might have lost immunity gained from the jab. They are in need of boosters too.

Way Ahead

Allow the open vaccine market to emerge in India that can help fulfil unmet vaccine requirements.

Give people choice to opt for a mix-and-match boost, with an mRNA jab to enhance what they took.

The Centre should allow vaccine makers to get clearances for local distribution independent of the restrictions imposed by the government guidelines.

Source: The post is based on an article “Let an open market for vaccines fulfil demand” published in the live mint on 16^th March 2022