The mammoth task of vaccinating a billion-plus population, many in far-flung areas and rough terrain, against Covid-19 was accomplished primarily on the back of the game-changing CoWIN platform launched on January 16, 2021.
The interface has become so successful that the government is now planning to repurpose the CoWIN platform for India’s Universal Immunisation Programme and other national health programmes while continuing with its current function of recording Covid-19 vaccination and issuing certificates.
In History TV18’s documentary titled The Vial – India’s Vaccine Story, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the role played by CoWin in India’s fight against Covid-19.
“India is the only country where thanks to a platform like CoWIN, people could see where they could get vaccinated, what time they had to reach the vaccination centre so as not to overcrowd in queues. It gave details of when to take the second shot. Technology was ably used for it,” he said.
Narrated by renowned actor Manoj Bajpayee, The Vial brings to life the inside story of what went into producing the Covid-19 vaccine vial, unfolding the story behind India’s success in developing, manufacturing and delivering the Covid-19 vaccine in unprecedented timelines.
In the documentary, Dr RS Sharma, CEO, National Health Authority, said: “Unless it is done in a manner which is transparent, where the VVIP also looks at the same dashboard and platform as the poor man… that kind of information symmetry is very important.”
Dr Sharma had earlier said that around 50 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Nigeria and Panama, have shown interest in having a CoWIN-like system to run their vaccination drive and that India is ready to share the open source software free of cost.
CoWIN has also been lauded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman. “The CoWIN app that was used is a great global model that we think has potential to show how other countries, including in Africa, could take and develop their own interventions for, in this case, health,” he said.
Inside ‘The Vial’
The 60-minute documentary is the first to feature PM Modi where he speaks in detail about India’s victory over the coronavirus pandemic.
The Vial also chronicles the development of the Covishield vaccine — from isolation of the strain at Pune’s National Institute of Virology to manufacturing billions of vials of two of the world’s most effective vaccine candidates in record time to cater to the country’s massive population.
It takes a closer look at some of the case studies that put the spotlight on the determination of the Indian government and health workers in making vaccines accessible to people even in the remotest areas, braving harsh terrain and landscapes.
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