Leading private hospital group Apollo Hospitals on October 15 that it is prepared to administer one million COVID-19 vaccines per day whenever the vaccine is rolled out.

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The group said it will leverage its robust pan-India network of 19 medicine supply hubs with cold chain facilities, 70 hospitals, over 400 clinics, 500 corporate health centres and 4000 pharmacies alongside their omni-channel digital platform to ensure massive administration capacity of COVID-19 vaccines.

The Executive Vice Chairperson, The Apollo Group of Hospitals, told reporters here that the group is strengthening the cold chain to manage the safety of 300 million doses per annum. About 10,000 professionals are being trained in safe vaccination protocols. She said the network was ready to work under the aegis of the government to administer the government approved and procured COVID-19 vaccine. The government is expected to procure large quantities of COVID-19 vaccine from one or more of the five vaccine candidates now in the advanced stage of clinical trials.

Three of them are in the US, while Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadila have developed vaccine candidates in India. "As the entire country awaits a vaccine for the deadly infectious disease, one of the major challenges will be around safe and orderly delivery of doses, for the population of 1.3 billion Indians, especially the vulnerable," she said. "Apollo Hospitals have been strengthening its vaccine cold chain for supply and gearing up all Apollo facilities for efficient and fast administration with the highest safety standards, for up to 1 million doses per day," she added.

About 30 percent of India is roughly 30 minutes away from an Apollo pharmacy, which can then guarantee safe and widespread reach of the vaccine, if required, she said. After covering a sizable needy population, Apollo plans to procure vaccines directly from manufacturers, subject to approval from the government.