Lok Sabha Question No. 816 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-23
Subject: Change in Vaccine Policy
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Asaduddin Owaisi, Mala Roy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA U NSTARRED QUESTION NO. 816 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23 RD JULY, 2021

## CHANGE IN VACCINE PO LICY

## 816. SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAIS I: SHRIMATI MALA ROY:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WE LFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has changed allocation and vaccination of COVID vaccine policy from time to time, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (b) the criteria formulated for the distribution of vaccine to States and private hospitals;
- (c) the number of citizens so far vaccinated with first and both doses separately, State/UT - wise;
- (d) whether India in the first instance exported vaccine without assessi ng the impact of second wave and need of vaccine in the country, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (e) the total doses of foreign vaccine so far received on purchase or as donation so far and the timeline fixed by the Government to vacci nate all the eligible people in the country; and
- (f) the reasons for not identifying journalists as frontline workers and giving them priority for COVID vaccination?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR . BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR )

(a) : Under  the  National COVID Vaccination Program, from 16th January to 30th April 2021, 100% of vaccine doses were procured by Government of India and provided free of cost to S Governments.

domestic

From  1st  May  to  20th  June  2021, 'T he Liberalized  Pricing  and  Accelerated  National COVID - 19  Vaccination  Strategy ' was brought in effect in order to incentivize production by vaccine manufacturers and encourage new COVID - 19 vaccines. Under this strategy, States/UTs and private hospitals were allowed to procure COVID - 19 vaccine directly from manufacturers . Government of India procured 50% of monthly vaccine production by the manufacturers, the State Government and private hospitals procured remaining 5 0% doses . The quantity of doses available for State/UT and private hospitals was worked out on State - wise population of 18 to 44 years on pro -rata basis.

The ' Revised Guidelines for Implementation of National COVID Vaccination Program ' were issued on 8 th June 2021, to be effective from 21stJune 2021under which Government of India is procuring 75% of the COVID - 19 vaccines produced in the country and providing it free of cost to States/UTs. The States/UTs, in turn, will administer the vaccines free of cost to all citizens as per priority . The domestic vaccine manufacturers have the option to provide 25% of their monthly vaccine production directly to private hospitals .

The Guidelines were reviewed and revised keeping in view the experiences gained from 1stMay 2021 and the repeated requ es ts received from States.

(b):Vaccine doses provided free of cost by Government of India areallocated to States/UTs based on criteria such as pro - rata target population, the progress of vaccination in the State/UT and vaccine wastage.

(c) : The  number  of  citizens  vaccinated  with  first  and  second  dose  of  COVID - 19  vaccines, State/ UT - wise, is placed at Annexure .

(d) :Government of India has secured COVID - 19 vaccines for the eligible beneficiaries as per th availability of vaccines in the coun ry. The export quantity comprised vaccines committed under international agreements by the domestic manufacturer to COVAX  and  its  individual commitments to other countries/organizations and vaccines supplied through ' Vaccine Maitri ' inititaive .

(e) : As o n date, no foreign COVID - 19 vaccine has been purchased or received as donation by Government of India. In view of the dynamic and evolving nature of COVID - 19 pandemic, no fixed timelines at present can be indicated for the completion of vaccination drive, however, it is expected that all beneficiaries aged 18 years and above will be vaccinated by December 202

(f) : The COVID - 19 vaccination is guided by National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID- 19 (NEGVAC) on the basis of concurrent scient ific evidence. The prioritization f r vaccination has been done with an aim to protect the pandemic response and health system and to have maximum impact on reduction of disease & deaths due to COVID -19. This was later followed by age - based prioritization, which is considered equitable and which has also been the practice globally.

Annexure

## Number of citizens vaccinated with first and second dose of COVID

- 19 vaccines, State/UT -wise

(as of 20 th July 2021)

| S. No.   | State/UT             | 1 st dose    | 2 nd dose   |
|----------|----------------------|--------------|-------------|
| 1        | A & N Islands        | 1,81,725     | 79,542      |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh       | 1,45,59,253  | 42,38,908   |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh    | 6,35,285     | 1,41,833    |
| 4        | Assam                | 73,82,885    | 15,57,222   |
| 5        | Bihar                | 1,81,16,037  | 32,27,229   |
| 6        | Chandigarh           | 5,49,385     | 1,43,843    |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh         | 90,06,605    | 20,93,764   |
| 8        | Dadra & Nagar Haveli | 2,89,431     | 31,816      |
| 9        | Daman & Diu          | 2,25,343     | 35,733      |
| 10       | Delhi                | 71,58,176    | 22,25,291   |
| 11       | Goa                  | 9,85,642     | 2,16,947    |
| 12       | Gujarat              | 2,28,50,251  | 69,02,088   |
| 13       | Haryana              | 86,33,560    | 20,62,920   |
| 14       | Himachal Pradesh     | 35,42,306    | 10,65,433   |
| 15       | Jammu & Kashmir      | 45,86,665    | 10,36,891   |
| 16       | Jharkhand            | 68,49,074    | 15,00,637   |
| 17       | Karnataka            | 2,21,88,552  | 54,08,325   |
| 18       | Kerala               | 1,21,57,109  | 49,01,973   |
| 19       | Ladakh               | 1,85,146     | 62,381      |
| 20       | Lakshadweep          | 49,064       | 13,282      |
| 21       | Madhya Pradesh       | 2,15,52,669  | 41,27,473   |
| 22       | Maharashtra          | 3,06,36,740  | 92,75,340   |
| 23       | Manipur              | 9,47,072     | 1,10,389    |
| 24       | Meghalaya            | 7,88,294     | 1,26,750    |
| 25       | Mizoram              | 6,14,394     | 1,37,962    |
| 26       | Nagaland             | 5,60,660     | 1,18,686    |
| 27       | Odisha               | 1,13,30,737  | 32,42,484   |
| 28       | Puducherry           | 5,23,893     | 1,30,293    |
| 29       | Punjab               | 72,59,314    | 15,58,644   |
| 30       | Rajasthan            | 2,32,95,731  | 57,09,586   |
| 31       | Sikkim               | 4,65,924     | 1,36,777    |
| 32       | Tamil Nadu           | 1,62,14,280  | 35,36,983   |
| 33       | Telangana            | 1,09,41,218  | 25,12,879   |
| 34       | Tripura              | 21,53,732    | 7,02,134    |
| 35       | Uttar Pradesh        | 3,43,94,183  | 66,57,551   |
| 36       | Uttarakhand          | 40,88,707    | 12,10,234   |
| 37       | West Bengal          | 1,87,51,077  | 76,74,598   |
| 38       | Miscellaneous        | 17,42,664    | 15,38,797   |
| INDIA    |                      | 32,63,92,783 | 8,54,53,618 |