Role of National Technical Advisory Group of Immunization (NTAGI) in Covid-19 Vaccination Program

The Covid-19 pandemic posed unprecedented scientific, programmatic and governance challenges globally; timely decision making was the key to guide public health action. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), as the apex body for immunization policy in India, played a crucial role in shaping the country’s Covid-19 vaccination strategy. To address the rapidly evolving situation, dedicated Covid-19 Working Group (CWG) was constituted in July 2020 to review evidence and program data and provide recommendations on surveillance, developing epidemiology, disease severity, vaccine research and development, real world vaccine effectiveness, vaccine safety and hesitancy and program preparation for vaccine rollout and associated logistics. Vaccine manufacturers shared pre-clinical and clinical data with CWG as an additional step to review the vaccine efficacy and safety beyond the usual regulatory pathway. The CWG met 53 times, held frequent consultations with national and international experts, interacted with regulators and policy makers, and provided rollout recommendations on priority groups for vaccination, optimal dosing intervals, vaccination of different population groups including children, pregnant and lactating mothers, immune-compromised individuals and indications for booster/protection doses. CWG regularly reviewed the AEFI (Adverse Event Following Immunization) data for vaccine safety to allay community concerns. CWG recommended data harmonization and synthesis across activities and sectors. The timely, transparent and evidence-based recommendations from CWG/NTAGI facilitated efficient and timely policy decisions by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, contributing significantly to the reduction in severe cases, hospitalizations, and mortality. Overall NTAGI contributed and complimented in a significant manner to the overall national endeavours of managing the pandemic.