Covid-19: Centre mulling above-45 vaccine -amid fears of a second nationwide wave -widen vaccination coverage.

The vaccination campaign is currently open to people 60 years or older and to those between 45 and 60 with certain chronic illnesses

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G.S. Mudur   |   TT   |   New Delhi   |   19.03.21: The Centre’s advisers are discussing a proposal to offer Covid-19 vaccines to people 45 years or older amid fears of a second nationwide wave and demands from health experts and state authorities to widen vaccination coverage.

A proposal to extend the vaccination campaign to all people above 45 years is “under consideration in addition to coverage for elderly and those not elderly but living with comorbidities (chronic illnesses),” an adviser to the Centre told The Telegraph.

The vaccination campaign is currently open to people 60 years or older and to those between 45 and 60 with certain chronic illnesses, but seeks to eventually cover about 300 million people above 50 years and those below 50 with chronic illnesses.

The epidemic’s resurgence — marked by over 35,000 new cases nationwide on Thursday, the highest in over three months, after steady rising counts since early February — have prompted calls on the Centre from Delhi and other states to expand vaccine coverage.

But experts guiding the Centre on vaccination strategy have cautioned that any expansion plan would need to synchronise a triad of factors — vaccine supply, the country’s capacity to deliver them and their quick uptake.

The vaccination campaign has picked up momentum after it opened up for priority groups from the general population since March 1, but advisers underline that the current pace of the campaign is still below expectations.

On Thursday, for example, vaccination centres across India had collectively administered around 1.78 million doses up to 7pm.

“Given the number of the vaccination centres active and the amount of vaccines supplied, the number administered could have been twice higher,” a senior doctor and adviser to the government told this newspaper.

Health experts also caution that a plan to expand vaccination to 45 years or lower would significantly increase demand for doses at a time when India is relying on two vaccines — Covishield and Covaxin, both also pledged to global markets.

Neither health officials nor vaccine makers have specified how many doses of the two vaccines — Covishield from the Serum Institute of India and Covaxin from Bharat Biotech — are available to the government each month.

A Serum executive had indicated to The Telegraph last year that the company could supply up to 50 million doses a month by March, while a Bharat official told a webinar earlier this month the company could supply about 40 million doses a month.

At a supply of 90 million doses a month, the campaign could take six months, experts said. “Trying to do too much too quickly might compromise on the efficiency and quality of the vaccination campaign,” an adviser to a state government said.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra, and Mumbai and Nashik registered their highest-ever coronavirus case counts on Thursday. Maharashtra reported 25,833 cases and 58 deaths. Mumbai clocked 2,877 cases while Nashik registered 2,421 cases.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked divisional commissioners to ensure that restrictions announced to curb the spread of the virus are implemented strictly.