1Bn Successful Doses Of India Vaccination Drive: Really A Good News?
- Lifestyle
Alessia Braun- 0
- 9 minutes read
India is all set to fulfill its 1 billion (1 crore) Covid-19 vaccination doses today, after nine months from its launch, “the world’s biggest vaccination drive”, with the Indian government planning a mega celebration for this great India vaccination drive achievement. The India vaccination drive count has crossed 99.7 crores on 20.10.2021 (Wednesday) as per a report from the CoWIN portal of the Indian government. From the data received, 75% of the adults in the country have received the first dose, while 31% among them have successfully received both doses. Let us have a look at the Vaccination drive in India live news.
As per the latest stats, three-quarters of adults in India (1.3 billion) have had one shot of the covid vaccine, states the government.
India Vaccination Drive Celebration
Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister appealed to all the eligible citizens to get themselves vaccinated without any further delay and make a contribution to this “historic” journey of the country in fighting the coronavirus. A song by Kailash Kher will be launched and also an audio-visual film at the Red Fort to celebrate this success. This day will also witness the raising of the biggest national flag that weighs nearly 1,400 kg, a report from PTI said.
The government also had plans to make announcements over loudspeakers on planes, trains, and ships. It has also been asserted that the villages that are 100% vaccinated should celebrate this event by putting up banners and posters applauding the health workers for their huge contribution in serving the healthcare of this country.
Reluctancy Can Cause Damage
Having said that, in the India vaccination drive graph, the disparity between the fully and partially vaccinated citizens is the largest in the world, and this is a concern for a nation that has witnessed 4.52 lakh deaths. The government is sound about this issue and has called on union territories and states to emphasize on directing the second dose of vaccine.
Despite such disparity, the country is exporting and opening up millions of doses of vaccines. Millions of Indians are traveling interstate to celebrate various festivals. These movements are expected to increase in November due to the occasion of Diwali – the Hindu festival of lights.
Experts worry that interstate travel and the chances of new variants can cause a third surge in infection, leaving the children and the unvaccinated people at higher risk.
According to Dr. Anant Bhan, the global health and policy expert from Bhopal,
"It's difficult to predict because the global experience shows that things could turn sour at any point in time. But the trend in India right now is very encouraging. The number of vaccines administered is high and there is no upswing in cases."
Till 8 million doses are being offered on a single day, still the Indian Medical Association is urging the government to cease the export of vaccines as of now for the people at home.
Vaccines Beaten By The Second Covid Wave
As of now, India has witnessed two waves of the Covid-19 – one in 2020 before the availability of vaccines and the other started only weeks into the nation’s inclusion is initiating the India vaccination drive this year.
To answer your question of when did Covid vaccination started in India, the first session of dose started to roll out in January to the frontline workers and the vulnerable citizens who were a part of the priority group of 300 million people – almost similar to the entire US population.
Simultaneously, millions of Covershield doses – the AstraZeneca vaccine that was manufactured in India started to get exported to other nations and the COVAX, the global platform for the purpose of vaccine sharing.
The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi asserted that India was saving humanity from this pandemic, while the people at his home facilitating the world’s largest program were struggling. According to Dr. J.A. Hayalal, who is the president of the IMA (Indian Medical Association),
"We absolutely faced hiccups in the beginning. We weren't able to meet our huge demand, and there was a lot of hesitancy, especially among our rural population."
As the second wave of covid started to take its strength, the vaccination rate then was also very low and by March’s end, the government paused the exports of vaccines to prioritize Indians.
The rise in Covid cases caused despair and panic as millions tried to navigate the collapsing health care system of this country. Some desperately posted the requirements of blood, oxygen, and hospital beds. And in April, weeks before the high rise in the cases, the supply of vaccines dried up. Nearly 5 out of 29 states in India reported a severe shortage of vaccines. This incident criticized the Indian government to a great extent as they were not being able to handle the crisis. But the authorities ramped up the Covid-19 vaccination drive in India belatedly and by August more vaccination camps were opened, the rural areas witnessed the rolling out of educational campaigns as well.
India Vaccination Drive: Children Next In Line
As per the Health Ministry of the country, since the pandemic started, less than 1% of the Covid-19 deaths in India included children below the age of 15. But several states in India are taking extra precautions and preparing for the worst case scenario that the third wave may hit.
Hospitals are stocking up all medical amenities that are required including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. They are constructing Covid-19 treatment facilities, especially for children.
The head of the Pediatric Task Force in Maharashtra, Suhas Prabhu, said,
"We don't know how the virus will behave, but we cannot afford to be unprepared this time around. No mother should have to run around looking for a hospital bed when her child is sick."
The first vaccine that is available for the children of India over the age of 12 is ZyCov-D that has been developed by Cadila Healthcare Ltd. that is a Gujarat based company. They were offered the EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) in August.
Every month, nearly 10 million vaccines will be available, The Task Force Chief of India’s Covid-19 wing, V.K. Paul asserted on Wednesday. He said that,
"Our priority right now is to continue to explore options for children and adolescents for sure but our thrust is to cover the adult population for which there is no dearth of vaccines anymore."
The Bottom Line
India vaccination drive recently completed its 1 billion vaccination doses. And to mark this success, the Indian government has planned to celebrate this event on 21.10.2021. Having said that, the disparity between the fully and partially vaccinated citizens is the largest in the world, and this is a concern for a nation that has witnessed 4.52 lakh deaths. What steps will India take to further vaccinate to narrow down the disparity?
