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India Conducts Trial Run of Coronavirus Vaccination Drive

Anjana Pasricha

   NEW DELHI - India has conducted a two-day trial run for a mass
   coronavirus vaccination drive expected to begin in January. As the
   world's second worst-hit country witnesses a huge decline in daily new
   infections, there are hopes that immunizations will protect it from a
   second wave.

   In the drive that took place in the states of Punjab, Assam, Gujarat
   and Andhra Pradesh, in four corners of the vast country, authorities
   tested everything from the cold chain infrastructure and delivery
   systems to storage platforms on Monday and Tuesday.

   Vaccination booths connected to cold chain points were set up in
   hospitals and health centers in the four states.'¯Vaccinators were
   instructed on how to store and administer the shots'¯while'¯health
   workers acted as dummy beneficiaries during what was dubbed a "mock
   run."

   India's immunization drive is expected to begin shortly after it grants
   authorization for a vaccine. The drug regulator is considering three
   vaccines -- AstraZeneca's, Pfizer/BioNTech's and one developed by a
   domestic company, Bharat Biotech,'¯for emergency approval.

   The AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to get the green light, according
   to Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the Serum Institute of India.
   The company began manufacturing the vaccine in India months ago in
   expectation that it will be successful in preventing COVID-19, the
   disease caused by the coronavirus.

   "The emergency use authorization by the U.K. drug regulator for the
   Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19'¯is expected by December
   end or first week of January. In India too, we are hoping for
   regulatory approval for the vaccine in a few days," Poonawalla told
   reporters Monday.

   The expectation of an early rollout is bringing a glimmer of hope in a
   country where an inadequate health system has struggled to cope with
   the pandemic.

   "We can see the nightmare dissipating. Any reliable vaccine is good
   enough; they will help life limp back to normalcy," says prominent
   virologist T. Jacob John. "It is especially important for senior
   citizens, who are most at risk of suffering from severe complications
   if they get COVID-19."

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