- The entire countrymen must be feeling proud about the fact that we have crossed a jaw-dropping milestone of successfully administering 100 crore doses. It is an immense achievement as only the second nation after China to have crossed the mind-numbing numbers. That too after facing several challenges during the initial days leading up to the commencement of the vaccination. The moment also calls for poignantly remembering the loss of several lakh of lives to Covid before vaccine production could be speeded up. Looking back, the devastating second wave of April-May-June 2021 could have been better handled if only the same urgency for vaccination was shown back then. The severity and deaths to a certain extent could have been avoided.
PC: Hans News Service
- We all euphorically witnessed how the vaccination drive picked up an admirable pace during September touching record numbers consistently. Come October, the intensity and the urgency suddenly seems to have tapered off thereby showing we are just not able to internalize the lesson that timely vaccine shots will save lives in any possible infection surges in the near future. Looking at the statistics will tell a story of how things are panning out presently. Against 23.5 crore doses in September, October’s first three weeks have only passed 11 crore doses. Note that to fully vaccinate all eligible adults, another 90 crore doses are required and children over 2 will need around 80 crore doses, in all a total of 170 crore doses.
- It is indeed a humongous number demanding every single stakeholder, including the citizens, to join hands in a coordinated fashion to go about ensuring the inoculation drive reaches intended beneficiaries in a timebound manner. At the peak of the second wave, there were shrill calls by several states demanding the center to pick up the tab on vaccine procurement which was duly accepted. Since then, the supply side vaccine glitches have been streamlined appreciably and the states can no longer quibble about the same. Any seeping in of complacency at this stage will be ruinous. Several countries across the world are paying the price for slackness. Most disconcertingly, Covid cases are again witnessing a spurt in the United Kingdom, Russia, and Singapore despite fully inoculating a substantial population.
PC: Nasscominsights
- Such a scenario will be detrimental for hopes of normalcy to return. There is no way the states can feel complacent in our mission to inoculate all adults in the next few months. It is unacceptable that 10.85 crore doses are lying unused with states which should be fully utilized for the intended beneficiaries. Inoculating school-going children should be prioritized and as such, the production capacities should keep scaling up vis-à-vis Covishield and Covaxin alongside vaccines in the offing like ZyCov-D, Corbevax, and Covovax, respectively. Henceforth, emphasis should be on more bulk pre-orders, rounding up second dose recipients, and untangling the Covaxin muddle which has repeatedly failed to live up to promised production standards. The target of 170 crore jabs should guide the authorities from now on.
