India’s vaccination plan: Sputnik V 2nd contingent arrives; Time to utilise?
16 May, 2021 | Priyanka Sharma
Sputnik V is the third vaccine to roll out in the Indian market after Covishield and Covaxin. The first dose of Sputnik V was administered on Friday in Hyderabad.
The second batch of Sputnik V arrived in Hyderabad on Sunday to help India’s mission to vaccine every Indian above the age of 18. While Sputnik V is the third vaccine to roll out in the Indian market after Covishield and Covaxin, it is the first foreign-made vaccine to be used in India. Sputnik V was first administered on Friday in Hyderabad after the arrival of the first batch.
As vaccine manufacturers amp up efforts to increase the production of Covid-19 vaccine, it is equally important for the centre and states to work in close collaboration and utilise stocks, especially at a time when the country is facing an acute shortage. It is no secret that several vaccine centres across the country have been shut down due to shortage of vaccines. With more and more vaccines entering the Indian market, the situation is likely to improve in the coming days.
Other vaccine contenders, which are expected to enter the Indian market soon, include Bio E, Zydus Cadila, BB Nasal, Genova and SII-Novavax.
Along with vaccines, efforts are also underway to develop anti-viral medicines, one of which is DRDO’s 2DG Covid medicine, which is likely to launch next week and is crucial in the recovery of patients.
As per the Union Health Ministry, India on Sunday reported a spike of 3,11,170 new Covid-19 cases, with 3, 62,437 discharges and 4,077 deaths in last 24 hours. With this, the total number of cases of Covid-19 in India has reached 2,46,84,077, with 36,18,458 active cases, 2,70,284 death and 2,07,95,335 discharged. Meanwhile, the total number of vaccinated people has reached 18,22,20,164.