India Suddenly Announces Vaccine Launch Plan For February 2021

A resident drinks juice while wearing a mask in Kolkata, India (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - India suddenly announced the launch of a vaccine with a time of February 2021 as early as February 2021. That date was earlier than the developers expected, even early enough for the vaccine progress target of many world producers.

The Indian government-supported COVID-19 vaccine is said to have been declared safe and effective according to research. Bharat Biotech, a private company that developed COVAXIN with the state-run Indian Medical Research Council (ICMR), previously hoped to launch the vaccine in the second quarter of next year.

"This vaccine has shown good efficacy," said ICMR senior scientist Rajni Kant, who is also a member of the COVID-19 task force, at the research agency's headquarters in New Delhi, Thursday, November 5.

"It is hoped that by early next year, February or March, a vaccine will be available," Kant told Reuters.

With its launch in February next year, COVAXIN is the first Indian-made vaccine to be launched. India's coronavirus infections rose by 50,201 cases Thursday to 8.36 million, the second highest in the world after the United States.

The number of deaths rose by 704, with the total now being 124,315. India's rise in daily infections and deaths has slowed since a peak in mid-September.

Kant, who is head of ICMR's research management, policy, planning and coordination, said the health ministry is the one who decides whether the COVAXIN injections can be given to residents, even before the third phase of the trial is complete.

"Vaccines have shown safety and efficacy in phase 1 and 2 trials as well as in animal studies, so they are safe. But you can't be 100 percent sure unless the phase 3 trials are over," said Kant.

"There may be a risk, if you are ready to take risks, you can get a vaccine. If necessary, the government can think about giving a vaccine in an emergency situation."

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in September that the government was considering granting emergency clearance for the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine, especially for the elderly and people in high-risk workplaces.

Several of the leading vaccine candidates are already in the final stages of testing. The experimental vaccine developed by AstraZeneca UK is one of the most advanced, and the UK expects to launch it in late December or early 2021.

AstraZeneca has entered into several supply and manufacturing agreements with companies and governments around the world, including with the Serum Institute of India. Other end-stage vaccines were developed by Moderna Inc, Pfizer Inc with partners BioNTech SE, and Johnson & Johnson.