India’s vaccine distribution challenge, explained in five charts

When the covid-19 pandemic began spreading, India, like most other countries, was left scrambling for protective gear and medical equipment to manage the crisis. It may be possible to administer 550-600 million doses only over the course of 2021, given the bottlenecks in India’s cold chain infrastructure, wrote Anubhav Aggarwal and Sayantan Maji of Credit Suisse in a report on India’s vaccination plan last month. The state vaccine stores then distribute the vaccines to regional, district and sub-district level cold chain points via insulated vans. Mint India currently has about 27,000 cold chain points, 76,000 cold chain equipment, 700 reefer vans, 55,000 cold chain handlers, and 2.5 million health workers as part of its vaccine logistics network. A senior health ministry official from Jharkhand said that the state has identified 30 new cold chain points for expanding its distribution network.