Zydus Cadila’s Covid-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D will initially be used in districts in seven states having low first dose coverage before it is rolled out nationwide, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.
However, the world’s first DNA-based and needle-free Covid-19 vaccine, which is also the first to have been approved by India’s drug regulator for those aged 12 years and above, will only be administered to adults in the seven states for now, people familiar with the matter said.
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The seven states where ZyCoV-D will be administered in the first phase are Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
“Seven states (Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh & West Bengal) where ZyCoV-D vaccine will be used initially may identify districts with high number of first dose left out for introduction of the vaccine,” the Union health ministry said in a statement.
The national training for administering the vaccine has been completed, and the above mentioned states have been asked to plan sessions based on the needle-free PharmaJet injector and identify vaccinators to be trained for using it for vaccination, it added.
{{/usCountry}}The national training for administering the vaccine has been completed, and the above mentioned states have been asked to plan sessions based on the needle-free PharmaJet injector and identify vaccinators to be trained for using it for vaccination, it added.
{{/usCountry}}On August 20, the Drugs Controller General of India granted emergency use authorization to ZyCoV-D but it is yet to be included in the vaccination drive.
According to the company, the Centre has placed an order of one crore (10 million) doses of the vaccine.
Meanwhile, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan reviewed the status and progress of the “Har Ghar Dastak” (door to door) campaign with health secretaries and National Health Mission (NHM) directors of the states and Union territories through a video-conference.
The Centre’s month-long special vaccination drive, which began on November 3 and will continue till December 31, resulted in an 11.7% jump in second dose, and 5.9% increase in the first dose coverage. The campaign was launched with an aim to inoculate the entire population in poor-performing districts.
“The ‘Har Ghar Dastak’ nation-wide Covid-19 vaccination campaign has resulted in a hike of 5.9% in the 1st dose coverage (till 30th Nov), and an appreciable jump of 11.7% in 2nd dose Covid-19 vaccination coverage during the campaign...,” the statement said.
The cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 1,250 million doses on Thursday, of which, 791.3 million (84.3%) beneficiaries were vaccinated with the first dose and 458.2 million (49%) received the second dose, according to a provisional government report.