COVID-19 vaccine to be available by early 2021, will take first dosage to assure safety: Health Minister Harsh Vardhan

Harsh Vardhan stated that the Government is taking full precautions in conducting the human trials of the vaccine and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19

Union Home Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that a COVID-19 vaccine will be available by early next year. Further, he asserted that the first dosage will be taken by him to assuage the concerns of safety.

However, he said that there is no fixed date for the launch of the vaccine.

These statements were made during an interaction with his social media followers on the 'Sunday Samvad' platform.

Harsh Vardhan stated that the Government is taking full precautions in conducting the human trials of the vaccine and the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19.

“Issues like vaccine security, cost, equity, cold-chain requirements, production timelines, etc., are also been discussed intensely”, he stated.

He assured the vaccine will be first made available to those who need it the most, irrespective of their paying capacity.

Further, he said that the Government is considering emergency authorization of COVID-19 vaccination especially in the case of senior citizens & people working in high-risk settings. “This shall be done after a consensus has been reached”, he said.

To allay fears regarding the safety aspect of the vaccines, he said he will be happy to take the first dosage of the vaccine if some people have a trust deficit.

Elaborating on the vaccine candidates and their development in India, he said that the Department of Bio-Technology (DBT), as well as Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), have been pro-active in responding to the emerging situation to support advancement of vaccine candidates.

The Minister also noted that a safe and effective vaccine will help in establishing immunity to COVID-19 at much faster pace as compared to the natural infection. It is hoped that a consensus will emerge in next few months over the desired level of protective herd immunity in any community, he stated.

India in the last 24 hours reported 94,372 new COVID-19 cases taking the national coronavirus tally beyond the 47-lakh mark, as per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

With the latest spike, the total cases stand at 47,54,357 of which, 9,73,175 are active cases while 37,02,596 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated.

1,114 deaths due to the virus were reported in the last 24 hours, across the country, taking the national death toll due to coronavirus to 78,586.