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Know More About Availability, Dosage And Safety Of Moderna Vaccine In India!

The COVID-19 pandemic finally saw a silver lining amongst the dark clouds when vaccines were rolled out to the public after extensive research. India welcomed vaccines which proved their efficacy in other nations. India’s vaccination drive got a boost with the introduction of the Sputnik V and Novavax vaccines. COVID-19 vaccination in India got a further boost when Cipla announced that they will start manufacturing the Moderna Vaccine in India.

About the Moderna Vaccine

The Moderna vaccine has been developed in Massachusetts in the U.S.A. The Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) gave the go-ahead to Cipla, a Mumbai-based drug manufacturing company to start the production of these vaccines. As per the World Health Organisation, the Moderna vaccine has an efficacy percentage of around 94.1% against the COVID-19. The vaccine offers strong COVID-19 immunity and the vaccine is scheduled to be produced under the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA). 

A person allergic to polyethylene glycol (PEG) should not get vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine. It should only be administered by intramuscular injection and in a person with a bleeding disorder using a 23 or 25-gauge needle and applying firm pressure on the injection site for 2 minutes is recommended.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D

Efficacy of the Moderna Vaccine (Is it safe?)

The vaccine has been highly effective in the U.S.A. in providing COVID-19 immunity. The vaccine can be officially rolled out to the Indian public after it completes a 7-day safety assessment, which is to be tried out on 100 beneficiaries. The vaccine is safe to be taken by most adults and no severe side effects have been noted when the vaccine was taken by people. It has been noticed that the body starts developing immunity to COVID-19 around 14 days after the vaccine is administered. The vaccine has a shelf life of almost 7 months and is effective for 30 days if opened. 

The Moderna vaccine is proven to be effective against strains of COVID-19 like the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) and the Beta variant (501Y.V2). Parent company Moderna Inc. is still testing the vaccine’s efficacy against the new Delta strain of COVID-19. Results are looking positive regarding the efficiency of the vaccine in offering immunity against the new strain. 

What dosage will be followed for the Moderna Vaccine?

Like most vaccines, the Moderna vaccine in India is planned to be administered in two doses of 0.5 ml each. The tentative duration between the two doses is set at 24 days, however, it might be extended up to 42 days depending on the production capacity and the number of vaccines getting rolled out. 

Moderna’s COVID-19 shot, mRNA-1273, has been found to be the most efficacious of all. While the company wrapped up trials in, it has found that the vaccine has an efficacy rate of over 91%, with immunity peaking after administering two doses.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD

When will the vaccine be available to the public?

Cipla vaccine trials in India are slated to be completed at the earliest. When effective trials on 100 beneficiaries are completed the vaccines will be made available to the public. It is expected to be rolled out to the public in the middle or end of July when finer aspects of the trials are completed and it is deemed okay to be used. 

The vaccine needs to be stored under negative 20 ° Celsius, which has made production difficult due to the storage requirements. The vaccine is expected to be rolled out in the private sector first as the storage requirements make the cost of the vaccine higher than some of its counterparts. 

Dealing with the Delta variant of COVID-19

The third wave of COVID-19 is still expected to hit India even though vaccination drives are ongoing. The introduction of the Moderna vaccine in India can be a boost to fight the Delta strain and if it gets approved by the USFDA for emergency usage in India, the vaccines will start to be administered without further trials on home soil. WHO has been supporting the results which indicate that the Moderna vaccine is showing efficiency in providing immunity against the delta strain. To counter the third wave and the rise in Delta variants, India might also start importing the Moderna vaccine to increase the vaccinations. 

Even though vaccinations in India are ongoing the percentage of vaccinated people still stands at only 6% of the total population. Vaccinating such a large population is difficult and the introduction of new vaccines in India like the Moderna vaccine is a huge boost. 

The population needs to be more wary about getting vaccinated and staying safe by following all the guidelines issued by the government. New vaccines bring hope that the world will get back to normal and overcome COVID-19. 

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