BUSTED: 7 myths linked to Covid-19 vaccination in India

India has administered 20.27 crore vaccine doses under the nationwide vaccination drive. But this number could be much higher if many among us stopped believing in distorted statements, half-truths and blatant lies.

Dr Vinod Paul, chairman of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC), busts some of these myths.

Myth 1: The government is not doing enough to purchase vaccines from foreign countries

Fact: The Centre has engaged continuously with all major international vaccine manufacturers from mid-2020. Multiple rounds of discussions have happened with J&J, Pfizer and Moderna. 

The government offered all assistance to the vaccine makers to manufacture or supply their vaccines in India. Vaccines are unavailable for free. Buying vaccines internationally is not the same as buying off the shelf items. Globally, vaccines are in limited supply, and companies have their priorities, game plans, and compulsions to allocate finite stocks. 

They also prefer countries of origin, just as our vaccine makers have done unhesitatingly for us. As soon as Pfizer indicated vaccine availability, the Centre and the company are working together for the earliest possible import of the vaccine. 

As a result of the Centre's efforts, Sputnik vaccine trials got accelerated. Russia has already sent two vaccine tranches and accomplished tech transfer to our companies that would start manufacturing very soon. 

Myth 2: Centre has not okayed vaccines available globally

Fact: The Centre, in April, eased the entry of vaccines approved by the EMA, UK's MHRA, US FDA, Japan's PMDA and WHO's Emergency Use Listing into India. This means that these vaccines would not need to go through prior bridging trials. 

This provision has now been further amended to waive off the trial requirement altogether for the well-established vaccines made in other nations. No foreign manufacturer's application for approval is pending with the drugs controller.

Myth 3: Centre is not ramping up domestic vaccine production

Fact: The central government plays the role of an effective facilitator to enable more companies to produce vaccines. There is just one Indian company (Bharat Biotech) with intellectual property rights. 

The Centre has ensured that three other companies/plants will start production of Covaxin apart from enhancing Bharat Biotech's plants, which have increased from 1 to 4. Covaxin production is being increased from under one crore per month to 10 crores per month by October. 

Additionally, the three PSUs will aim to produce up to 4.0 Cr doses by December. With constant government encouragement, Serum Institute is ramping up Covishield production of 6.5 crore doses per month to 11 crore doses per month. 

The Centre is also ensuring in partnership with Russia that Sputnik will be manufactured by six companies coordinated by Dr Reddy's. The Union Government supports the efforts of Zydus Cadila, BioE and Gennova for their respective indigenous vaccines through liberal funding under the Covid Suraksha scheme and technical support at national laboratories. 

The development of Bharat Biotech's single-dose intranasal vaccine is proceeding well with the Centre's funding, and it could be a game-changer for the world. 

Myth 4: Government must invoke compulsory licensing

Fact: Compulsory licensing is not a very suitable option. Rather, what is needed is an active partnership, training of human resources, sourcing of raw materials and highest levels of biosafety labs. 

Tech transfer is the key and remains in the hands of the company that has carried out R&D. In fact, we have gone one step ahead of Compulsory Licensing. We are ensuring an active partnership between Bharat Biotech & 3 other entities to enhance the production of Covaxin. 

A similar model is being pursued for Sputnik. In October 2020, Moderna had said that it would not sue any firm that makes its vaccines. Even then, not one firm has done it. This shows that licensing is hardly an issue. If making vaccines was so easy, would the developed world be so short of vaccines?

Myth 5: Centre has shrugged off its responsibility to the states

Fact: The Centre is doing all the heavy-lifting, from funding vaccine manufacturers to giving them quick approvals to ramping up production to bring foreign vaccines to India. The vaccine procured by the Centre is supplied wholly to the states for free administration to people. 

All this is very much in the knowledge of the states. GoI has merely enabled states to try procuring vaccines on their own, on their explicit requests. The states very well knew the country's production capacity and the difficulties in procuring vaccines directly from abroad. 

The Centre ran the entire vaccine program from January to April & it was quite well-administrated compared to the situation in May. But states, that had not even achieved good coverage of healthcare workers and frontline workers in 3 months wanted to open up the process of vaccination and wanted more decentralisation. 
Health is a state subject. The liberalised vaccine policy emerged from constant requests made by the states to give states more power. The fact that global tenders have not given any results only reaffirms what we have been telling the states from day one: that vaccines are in short supply globally, and it is not easy to procure them at short notice.

Myth 6: The government is not giving states enough vaccines

Fact: Centre is allotting vaccines to the states as per agreed guidelines in a transparent manner. States are being informed in advance about vaccine availability. Availability will increase in the near future, and much more supply would be possible. 

States get 25% of the doses, and private hospitals get 25% doses. However, issues faced by the people in the administration of these 25% doses provided by the states need to be improved. The behaviour of some leaders, who, despite knowing the facts appear on television daily and create panic among the people on vaccine supply, is very unfortunate.

Myth 7: Centre is not taking steps to vaccinate children

Fact: No country in the world is vaccinating children. Even WHO has not recommended vaccinating children. The encouraging part is that there have been studies about the safety of vaccines in children. 

Trials for children in India are also going to begin soon. However, vaccinating children should not be decided based on panic in Whatsapp groups and because some politicians want to play politics. It has to be a decision taken by our scientists after adequate data is available to them based on trials.