Covid-19 vaccine update: Pfizer seeks emergency use nod in India, UK rolls out inoculation plan

Experts all over the world have begun to question China’s hurry in vaccinating its citizens when it claims to have contained Covid-19’s viral spread within its borders

After getting the nod for emergency use in the UK and Bahrain, Pfizer Inc has applied for emergency use authorisation in India. The United Kingdom is getting ready for emergency rollouts of the Pfizer vaccine and is now in the final stages of planning before the vaccination drive starts on December 14. Elsewhere in China, a million people have already been vaccinated as the country soldiers on with its vaccination drive.

Pfizer has sought emergency use authorisation for its vaccine from the Drugs Controller General of India(REUTERS)

Experts all over the world have begun to question China’s hurry in vaccinating its citizens when it claims to have contained Covid-19’s viral spread within its borders.

Here’s an update on what has been happening on the vaccine front:

1. Pfizer has sought emergency use authorisation for its vaccine from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) said PTI. In its application the firm has also asked for a waiver on clinical trials in India. Five other vaccines are currently in advanced phases of clinical trials in India. The Pfizer vaccine’s one major drawback is that it has to be stored at minus 70 degree Celsius, a temperature which most Indian cold storages cannot reach.

2. The UK will soon become the first western country to deploy a Covid-19 vaccine after regulators approved the Pfizer-BioNTech shot on Wednesday, according to Reuters. It plans to begin inoculations during the week of December 14. The government has bought 40 million doses, enough to inoculate 20 million people on the two-dose regimen. Following stringent quality checks, the vaccine will be first distributed to 50 hospital hubs around the country, followed by doctor-run vaccination centres. The shots will be administered in order of priority, with the first vaccines going to those in care homes, including healthcare workers, and people over 80 years old. NHS England has announced that vaccines are scheduled to arrive at hospitals Monday with the first vaccinations starting Tuesday. Once the vaccine becomes more widely available, smaller sites like local pharmacies will also be involved in administering the doses.

3. Provincial governments all across China have started placing orders for the experimental, indigenous vaccine. More than 1 million people have already been vaccinated after the provincial governments approved the experimental vaccine for emergency use, reported the Associated Press. Unlike the Pfizer vaccine, which has to be kept frozen, the Chinese ones can be stored in temperatures as low as 2 to 8 degree Celsius.

4. As India starts to roll out inoculation drives all over the country, Uttarakhand’s topography presents a challenge. The Uttarakhand Drone Application and Research Centre (DARC) under Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA) is preparing to deploy drones for the supply of vaccine doses in remote areas. Amit Sinha, inspector general of Uttarakhand police and director of ITDA, has said that one such drone has been used for a test run, and it has flown from Dehradun to Mussoorie and successfully delivered a generic vaccine in an icebox. ITDA at present has about 12 drones including Quadcopters and fixed-wing vehicles.

(With agency inputs)