India, "COVID-19 Vaccination for 250 Million People by July Next Year"

18% Priority Vaccination Among 1.38 Billion Population
Procurement Preparations for AstraZeneca and Russian Vaccines

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Indian government announced plans to vaccinate 250 million of its citizens against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by July next year. This accounts for about 18% of the estimated total population of 1.38 billion. The Indian government stated that it will procure vaccines through those about to be launched in various countries as well as domestically developed vaccines.

According to local Indian media such as The Times of India on the 5th, Harsh Vardhan, India's Minister of Health and Family Welfare, revealed the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan at a press conference the previous day, stating, "We plan to secure 400 to 500 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by July next year to vaccinate 200 to 250 million citizens." Minister Vardhan explained, "To this end, we have started increasing the workforce needed for vaccination and requested each state to submit lists of priority recipients such as medical personnel." He added, "Vaccine procurement will be centrally managed, and vaccines will be administered first to those in need. To prevent illegal transactions, deliveries will be tracked in real time."

The Indian government is known to plan securing vaccination supplies through vaccines under development domestically as well as those like the AstraZeneca vaccine. In India, pharmaceutical companies such as Zydus Cadila and Bharat Biotech are developing their own vaccines. The Serum Institute, known as the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, is participating in phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the vaccine jointly developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Additionally, India's Dr. Reddy's Laboratories is planning to participate in phase 3 clinical trials of 'Sputnik V,' a vaccine developed by Russia's state-run Gamaleya Institute and approved by Russian authorities.

Since August, India has had the highest daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide. On the day the Indian government announced, the daily confirmed cases reached 74,442. Although the daily cases dropped to the 70,000 range after recording 96,894 on the 17th of last month, the number remains high. According to global statistics site Worldometer, as of that day, India's cumulative confirmed cases totaled 6,623,815, making it the second-highest in the world after the United States (7,636,185). The cumulative death toll stands at 102,685.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.