Entire country may not need to be vaccinated, vaccinating critical mass may be enough: ICMR Director General

The entire population may not need to be vaccinated, said Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Dr Balram Bhargava on December 1, 2020. He stated that vaccinating a critical mass of people may be enough to break the chain of virus transmission. 

The Union Health Ministry Rajesh Bhushan also confirmed during a press briefing that the government had never spoken about vaccinating the entire country for the coronavirus pandemic.

Further, Bhushan along with Dr Bhargava said that a decision has to be taken on whether those who have been infected by the disease and recovered need to be administered the vaccine. He said this might rationalise vaccine use.

Entire population will not be vaccinated?

When asked about the timeline for vaccinating the entire population, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the government has not said the entire country will be vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine. 

He said that there might not even be a need to vaccinate the entire population and said that it is important that we discuss such scientific issues, based on factual information only.

Bhushan reiterated that the government plans to vaccinate around 25-30 crore population on priority basis within six months after a vaccine is approved and made available for use. The priority population includes healthcare and front-line workers, old people and those with co-morbidities.

Those who recovered from COVID-19 will not receive the COVID vaccine?

•Currently, talks are going on whether those recovered from COVID-19 infection need to be vaccinated against the infection or not. The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 is also still deciding on whether people who have survived COVID and carry antibodies need to be vaccinated. 

•Dr. Bhargava said that the matter is under discussion globally and though there is evidence that there may not be any adverse event if those who were infected are vaccinated, it would help spare limited doses in the initial phase of vaccination.

•He also stated that there is strong evidence so far that those who have been infected are not likely to get Covid-19 again as long as they observe some basic precautions.

•He further stated that WHO has clearly stated in all its solidarity vaccine trials that we do not need to measure the antibodies or we do not even need to find out whether the person has had COVID for the purpose of vaccination. 

Wearing of masks to continue even after vaccination?

Despite preparations being made for the procurement, storage and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, the government continues to stress on the importance of wearing masks even after the vaccine is approved.

Dr. Bhargava reiterated that the masks will continue to remain important even after the vaccination as the government will start with vaccination of a small population initially and masks will be very helpful in breaking the chain of viral transmission.