Comments
Patients who have recovered from Covid-19 and have received monoclonal antibodies or plasma therapy as part of their treatment can wait for three months before taking the vaccination, Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
It has also stated that those who have contracted Covid-19 after the first dose of vaccination should wait for three months before getting the second dose and patients who were admitted in ICU for non-Covid serious illnesses can get the jab administered after four to eight weeks.
Recommendations
These recommendations were based on inputs given by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) which took into consideration the evolving pandemic sitaution, emerging scientific evidence and experience, said the Ministry statement.
The Ministry added that while there is no bar on lactating mothers receiving Covid vaccinations, for pregnant women, the issue is still under deliberation by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation. It stated that there was no need for conducting rapid antigen test on beneficiaries before the vaccine is administered.
The new recommendations also barred people from donating blood for 14 days either after receiving the Covid vaccine or being declared negative by RT-PCR upon infection.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers said it is monitoring the supply situation of all Covid-19 essential drugs in the country. The availability of these drugs is being monitored by implementing a three-pronged strategy of supply-chain management, demand-side management and affordability, the Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mansukh Mandaviya, said in a statement.
These drugs include protocol drugs such as Remdesivir , Enoxaparin , Methyl Prednisolone , Dexamethasone , Tocilizumab and Ivermectin as well as non-protocol drugs such as Favipiravir, Amphotericin and Apixaban, he said.
Production ramped up
Mandaviya said the CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) and the NPPA (National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority) are coordinating with manufacturers to enhance production and share data on the current stock situation of drugs, and their projected production for the month.
He said the number of plants producing Remdesivir rose to 60 from earlier 20, increasing the monthly production capacity by 10 times to 1 crore vials a month from 10 lakh vials earlier.
Similarly, the availability of Tocilizumab injection went up by 20 times, that of Dexamethasone by 6 to 8 times and Ivermectin 12 mg tablets by five times to 770 lakh in May. Similar increase in production was witnessed by other medicines as well, he added.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.