With the UK becoming the first country to roll out the Covid-19 vaccination programme last December with the Pfizer – BioNTech vaccine, many countries have followed its initiative and started out their vaccine rollouts.
The US is the worst-hit country by this global pandemic is working on its vaccination programme with six authorized vaccines including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna’s vaccine, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, and the recently authorized Johnson and Johnson vaccine and Novavax.
India too has rolled out its vaccination programme with the given approval to two vaccines; Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield for emergency use in the country.
The Serum Institute of India considered the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, plays a major role in the vaccine rollout by producing millions of doses of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines for India as well as for worldwide distribution. It is also carrying out final phase trials for new vaccines including the Covovax vaccine which is set to be launch by June.
While the most widely used Pfizer- BioNTech comes in two doses, three weeks apart, Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine tied up with Hyderabad-based Biological E, comes in a single shot making it a strong candidate among all the vaccines.
In addition to these vaccines, many more vaccines are already undergoing second and third phase trials with the expectation of getting the authorization. These include CanSino, ZyCov- D, CVnCVnCoV, INO-4800 among many others. According to the reports the USA, India, China, and Russia are among the leading countries that are at the forefront of the vaccine production drive.
While the world is racing its fight against the Coronavirus and the effectiveness of the vaccines are commendable, many people are still hesitant to take the jab. This may come as a surprise after witnessing the excitement people had when the media first reported about the discovery of possible vaccines against the virus.
Some people have come up with excuses like several deaths reported after taking the vaccine. Although it is true that there is no solid proof about the cause of the death was the implications of the vaccination. So far according to medics reports, almost all the authorized vaccines have no deadly or serious side effects.
Another question that pops up often about the vaccination drive is whether it will be possible to vaccinate each and everyone considering the cost for the vaccines spent in production, transportation, and distribution.
But most countries have come up with well-structured plans to vaccinate all their citizens’ step by step. Many countries have already finished off their first roll-out, mostly giving their priority to elderly people and front line health workers.
India, being the second-most populous country in the world, has also made plans for the massive vaccination programme taking the huge challenge of vaccinating a billion people to tackle the coronavirus and bring life back to normal.
