Vaccine should be available in open market by year-end: AIIMS director

Dr Randeep Guleria received his second dose of Covid vaccine at a hospital

Dr Randeep Guleria, director, All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), received his second dose of Covid vaccine here on Wednesday after a month of taking the first shot.

Dr Guleria said the vaccine will be available in open market only when prime targets-people to be vaccinated-are covered and there's equivalence of supply-demand. 

"Hopefully there'd be such situation by year-end or before that. Then there would be likelihood of vaccine to come to open market," he said.

Guleria, who is also the member of National Task Force on Covid-19, has not reported any major side-effects following the first jab, officials said.

Guleria had received his first dose at the launch of the nationwide Covid immunisation drive on January 16 alongside NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul, who received his due dose a day ago at AIIMS.

Guleria was entitled to receive his second dose of the vaccine after an interval of four to six weeks as per the doses-regimen approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) while granting the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) to the two vaccines on January 3.

The drug regulatory authority has granted EUA to two vaccinesa"Covishield and Covaxina"last month for the roll out in the immunisation programme against Coronavirus in the country. Covaxin has been developed jointly by Hyderabad based pharmaceutical firm Bharat Biotech and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Meanwhile, Covishield is developed from the masterseed of AstraZeneca/Oxford University's vaccine against the covid-19 by vaccine manufacturer gian, Serum Institute of India.

In Delhi, Covaxin is being administered at six hospitals which come under the purview of the central government including AIIMS. Guleria has been given doses of Covaxin.

Meanwhile, with 11,610 new Covid-19 cases, India's caseload has climbed to 1,09,37,320, while the number of recoveries has surged to 1,06,44,858, the Union health ministry said today.

The death toll due to the viral disease has gone up to 1,55,913 in the country with 100 more fatalities reported in a 24-hour period, the ministry's data updated at 8 am showed.

So far, nearly 9 million (89,99,230) doses of corona vaccine have been administered in India since the drive began on January 16, as per the latest data shared by the union health ministry on Tuesday morning.