NEW COVID VACCINE POLICY

Subject : Governance

Context: splitting vaccines 50-50 has created new supply bottlenecks

Concept :

Union government’s decision to decentralise vaccine procurement from May 1, has now presented fresh bottlenecks along the supply chain.
The two specific obstacles, according to company and government sources involved in planning the supply chain brass tacks, are: i) absence of scale now, compared with the earlier integrated hub-and-spoke model, and ii) logistical impediments faced by procurers such as individual hospitals or chains and different states.

NEW COVID VACCINE POLICY

India will dramatically expand its vaccination coverage from May 1, including everyone aged 18 and older.
The fourth phase of the mass inoculation programme incorporates several changes in vaccine policy.
In the first three phases, when healthcare workers, frontline workers, and those above the age of 45 were vaccinated, the Centre procured the entire quantity of vaccines from the manufacturers, Serum Institute of India (Covishield) and Bharat Biotech (Covaxin), and distributed it to states.
The states distributed the stock to government vaccination centres, which administered the vaccine free of cost, and to private hospitals that charged recipients Rs 250 per dose.
First, the 50 per cent basket of vaccine doses earmarked for states and private hospitals in the open market will be used to vaccinate those above the age of 18 years.
Second, free vaccination would be available at all vaccination centres that receive doses from the Government of India — with those doses, healthcare workers, frontline workers, and those above 45 will be vaccinated.