COVID-19 vaccine likely in Jan-July 2021, elderly & frontline warriors to get priority: HBS

Guwahati: Assam's Health, Finance, and Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today announced that the COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be available from January to July in 2021. During the inoculation process, Sarma said that priority would be given to the citizens above 60 years of age and frontline workers.

Addressing media persons here today, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "The Government of India has been convening meetings with us to take vaccination programme from January-July of next year. The frontline staff fighting COVID will be given priority during the vaccination process. We have been asked to be ready from January to July for the vaccination process."

If Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan is to be believed,  a vaccine against the coronavirus is expected to be available in India by early next year and there could be vaccines from more than one source.

"We're expecting that early next year, we should have the vaccine in the country from maybe more than one source. Our expert groups are already formulating and devising strategies to plan on how to roll out the distribution of the vaccines in the country, who do we give the vaccine first and then, of course, we are strengthening the cold chain facilities," Dr Harsh Vardhan said during a meeting of the Group of Ministers.

Earlier, he had announced that an anti-COVID shot would be available in the first quarter of 2021. At present, four coronavirus vaccines are in advanced stages of pre-clinical trial in India. 

On Sunday, Harsh Vardhan had said that considering the large population size of India, one vaccine or vaccine manufacturer will not be able to fulfil the requirements of vaccinating the whole country. Therefore, several vaccine candidates are being considered.

India is the second worst affect country by the coronavirus pandemic after the United States.

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