According to Indian government officials aware of the development, top Indian experts managing the national COVID-19 vaccination program are working with experts from other countries in a global effort to create a comprehensive training program on vaccinology.
Indian experts recently participated in a ‘Global Collaboration Advanced Vaccinology Training’ meeting in Geneva, where the need for a basic immunization training module for healthcare workers across the world was discussed to address the healthcare crisis.
India was represented by Dr NK Arora, Head of the COVID-19 Working Group in the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NTAGI). The NTAGI makes vaccine recommendations based on disease burden, efficacy and cost-effectiveness.
“A need has been identified that healthcare providers at all levels need to be oriented towards vaccines, vaccine-related challenges, its delivery and acceptance. The overall aim is to develop vaccinology modules that can be taken up for healthcare professionals at all levels,” said an Indian government official requesting anonymity.
India launched its massive COVID-19 vaccination campaign in January 2021. Currently, all adults and children aged 12-14 are eligible for the vaccine. India is also setting up a cadre of frontline epidemiologists to combat future pandemics.
“Discussions took place about providing advanced immunization education to health professionals, helping address challenges in priority areas, and facilitating the exchange of activities and information in the context of the health crisis. In addition, we explore ways and means to formally collaborate between these different vaccinology courses in the future,” Arora told Mint.
India has given at least 1.84 billion doses so far. More than 17 million vaccine doses have been given to children while 23 million individuals have received a booster jab. India is also conducting a study on combining the COVID-19 vaccines Covaxin and Kovishield. Recently, CMC Vellore presented the preliminary findings of the study to NTAGI.
“No country in the world has vaccinated more than 90% of its population. Only India has given at least the first dose of vaccine to more than 98 percent of its population. So, we explained to them how India is running the world’s largest vaccination campaign,” Arora said.
The objective of this international program is to identify ways to support and facilitate training, share experiences and best practices, review the impact of COVID worldwide and ongoing vaccination programs, and facilitate refresher courses on training needs. And solutions had to be identified. Top medical professionals from around 70 countries participated.
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