Covid-19 Vaccine Will Be Available In The Open Market By Year-End; But Only Once This Happens

By Malvika Gurung Last updated Feb 18, 2021

AIIMS director announces Covid-19 vaccines to roll out in the open market, probably by year-end or sooner.

The vaccination drive of the deadly coronavirus disease started pan-India on January 16, 2021, about 2 weeks after the drug regulator gave green light to the emergency use of the two Indian vaccines, Covishield and Covaxin.

Currently, the vaccine is being administered to healthcare and frontline workers.

However, the director of AIIMS, Dr Randeep Guleria states that given the current status of the vax drive, the Covid-19 vaccines are likely to roll-out in the open market by the year-end or sooner.

Let’s learn the parameters responsible for a statement that headstrong.

Conditions to Release in Open Markets By Year-End

The director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr Randeep Guleria, on Wednesday took the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

He stated that by the end of the year or possibly even prior to that, the Covid-19 vaccines could likely be rolled out in the open market.

However, he also mentioned that for the vaccines to be available freely (in the market), a stability must be achieved between the demand and supply of the same, besides all prime targets in the current vax drive being covered.

“Vaccine will be available in the open market only when prime targets – people to be vaccinated – are covered and there’s an equivalence of supply and demand.

Hopefully, there’d be such a situation by year-end or before that. Then there would be a likelihood of vaccines to come to the open market.”, stated the director.

About 88.5 lakh Vax Doses Administered

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has informed that as of Tuesday, about 88.5 lakh vaccine doses have been administered to healthcare and frontline workers across the country.

The body stated on Wednesday that until Tuesday 6pm, a total of 88,57,341 vaccine doses were given through 1,90,665 sessions.

Of these, 61,29,745 Healthcare Workers have been given the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (Covishield/Covaxin), and
2,16,339 Healthcare Workers have been provided with the 2nd dose.
A total of 25,11,257 Frontline Workers have also been administered the first dose of the vaccine.

These data have been collected by the Times Network.

Additionally, the health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, informed that people over the age of 50 years would be administered the vaccine probably by March.