BENGALURU: The Centre will provide Karnataka with equipment that will add to the state’s existing cold chain infrastructure for vaccine delivery.
The Union Government will provide Karnataka with 33 walk-in coolers, 866 small ice line refrigerators, 64 large ice line refrigerators, 22 deep freezers to store vaccine doses, according to Dr Rajani Nageshrao, Deputy Director (immunisation) in the Health Department.
The Centre will also provide vaccine vans, cold boxes and ice packs to augment the state’s equipment. At present, Karnataka has 3,371 ice line refrigerators, 3,006 deep freezers, 10 walk-in coolers, and four walk-in freezers.
Globally, immunisation is carried out through the cold chain, a system that ensures vaccine vials are stored at the ideal temperature from the time of manufacture to the point of administration.
Dr Rajani also said that in 2017-18, the state had the infrastructure to store MR vaccine vials for 1.5 crore children who had to be immunised in a staggered manner. Districts have been told to identify storage spaces in addition to the existing cold chain infrastructure.
“We are working with the Animal Husbandry and Horticulture Departments to keep their refrigerators and coolers ready in case we need it. Storage facilities are also available with the Karnataka State Drugs and Logistics and Warehousing Society, and with private establishments,” she pointed out.
Dr Rajani said that storage for syringes requires moisture-free conditions, for which the Health Department has approached other arms of the government such as the Food Corporation of India.
Covid immunisation drive will be a huge challenge: Official
The process of identifying health workers — both government and private — which is already under way, is also designed to allow health professionals to tick a box if they wish to sign up as vaccinators.
The staff who will deliver the vaccine to people will also include staff nurses and ANMs (auxiliary nurse and midwife).
However, despite all preparations, the Covid immunisation drive will be a huge challenge, Dr Rajani said.
“The infrastructure supplied by the Centre will depend on two factors. One, the data on health workers (to be vaccinated) across all states. Two, the doses the vaccine contains. If one vial contains two doses, more space will be required, as opposed to a vial that contains 10 doses. As of now, we cannot estimate the infrastructure we will require as we do not know what the vaccine will be like and how many doses it will contain,” she said.
GLOBAL VACCINES MODERNA
Stage: Completed Phase 3 trials.
Type: RNA (uses genetic code of the virus)
Efficiency: 94.5%.
Doses: 2.
Storage Temperature: 70 degrees C.
PFIZER/BIONTECH
Stage: Completed Phase 3 trials.
Type: RNA (uses genetic code of the virus).
Efficiency: 95%.
Doses: 2.
Storage Temperature: 70 degrees C.
ASTRA ZENECA/ OXFORD UNIVERSITY
Stage: Phase 2/3 trials under way in England, India, Brazil, South Africa, US. Trials being done in Mysuru.
Type: Viral vector (uses weakened virus).
NOVAVAX
Stage: Launched trials in May.
Type: Viral vector (uses weakened virus) Agreement with Serum Institute of India in September to produce 2 billion doses in 2021.
INDIAN VACCINES ZYDUS CADILLA
Stage: Phase 2 trials.
Type: Plasmid DNA, delivered by skin patch Bharat Biotech
Stage: Phase 3 trials.
Type: Inactivated (uses dead virus).
Such cold temperatures have not been part of routine Indian vaccination programmes. This will lead to cost, infrastructure and logistical challenges to ensure the vaccine remains stable at the time of delivery. We also need to look at safety, as vaccines with messenger RNA have not been used on humans before. Though Moderna and Pfizer have stated efficacy of 94.5 percent and 95 percent respectively, these are early stage results. Oxford University's Covishield, whose Phase-2 results were published in Lancet on Thursday, seems encouraging
- Dr. Anant Bhan, Researcher, Global Health, Bioethics, and Health Policy
Moderna and Pfizer have published DSMB results for their mRNA vaccines in four days, both reporting more than 90% efficacy based on less than 100 cases. Surprisingly, we couldn't find the published pre-prints to scientifically evaluate their claims, since they are communicating at large that these results are statistically significant
-Dr. Vishal Rao, Regional Director, Head, Neck, Surgical Oncology and Associate Dean, Centre of Academic and Research, HCG Cancer Centre, Bengaluru