Govt Admits India Witnessing Community Transmission; Know How 'eVIN' Can Ensure Covid-19 Vaccination To Masses?

Coronavirus Update: eVIN is not a new term in the country, it is being used since 2015 and was developed in India itself.

(Photo by NOAH SEELAM / AFP)

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has finally admitted that the country is witnessing "Community Transmission" after months of denial. The health minister during his Sunday Samvad said, "In different pockets across various states, including West Bengal, community transmission is expected to occur, especially in dense areas. However, this is not happening across the country. It is limited to certain districts occurring in limited states." Dr. Harsh Vardhan assured that as of yet, no mutation of coronavirus has been detected in India, which is either more transmission efficient or more pathogenic. Till now the country has witnessed more than 75 lakh cases of Coronavirus and around 1.14 lakh deaths and around 66 lakhs people have recovered from the disease. While the recovery rate is surging with 88%. Yet the most anticipated thing right now the Covid-19 vaccine and the plans for its distribution across the country. Vaccination of a billion people, procurement, testing and development each has its own unique challenge for the Government of India, says well known Vaccinologist Prof. Peter Hotez on India's plan to track vaccine development, procurement and distribution on a digital platform. The GOI introduced to the parliament about the Electronic vaccine intelligence network(eVIN) and how it plans to bank on the digital platform to ensure vaccination to each and every individual of the country. Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) system, which provides real-time information on vaccine stocks and storage temperatures across all cold chain points in the country, is being enhanced to address the needs for distribution and tracking of Covid-19 vaccine. eVIN is not a new term in the country, it is being used since 2015 and was developed in India itself. In 2017 the United Nations Development Programme backed the technology. eVIN was initially developed to track vaccine stock and storage and monitor temperature of cold chains through smartphone application. eVIN aims to strengthen the evidence base for improved policy-making in vaccine delivery, procurement and planning for new antigens in India. eVIN provides an integrated solution to address widespread inequities in vaccine coverage by supporting state governments in overcoming constraints of infrastructure, monitoring and management information systems and human resources, often resulting in overstocking and stock-outs of vaccines in storage centers. The well-oiled and tested digital platform, is currently working across 29 states and 7 UTs with over 27000 vaccine storage facilities. The technological facility has installed over 50000 temperature loggers across its facility for its real-time monitoring. As of recently, eVIN has been actualized in excess of 21 states and association domains in India. The UNDP says that it has accomplished over 80% decrease in examples of immunization stock-outs and guaranteed improved accessibility of satisfactory and intense UIP antibodies to all focused-on kids and pregnant ladies. It has additionally accomplished decrease in usage of antibodies from 3,053 lakh portions in pre-eVIN period to 2,149 lakh dosages in post-eVIN period over the underlying 12 eVIN states, generally because of wastage and blunder, coming about into reserve funds of around 900 lakh (90 million) dosages of immunizations. It has upheld an antibody accessibility pace of over 99% at all virus chain focuses and systemised measures by starting remedial activity to reexamine target populace for cold chain focuses that were prior out-of-sync, improve immunization stockpiling framework and support viable arranging and appropriation. While the GoI has a plan to distribute the vaccine through the digital platform. The major hurdle about to come is the production of vaccine. While different candidates of vaccine from around the world are going through their clinical trials, there is not any credible information of when the vaccine will arrive. The Serum Institute has planned to deliver 100 million doses, Dr. Reddy’s Lab recently got approval to start mid and final stage clinical trials of the Russian vaccine candidate Sputnik V recently. India has a population of 1.4 billion people and 100 millions doses a year can take around 14 years to vaccinate the whole country.