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INTRODUCTION
India started its vaccination drive on 16th January 2021 and thus began the world’s largest vaccination drive. The world saw the hope to overcome one year horror of COVID-19 when the countries started vaccination drive around the end of the last year. India is one of those nations which developed their own vaccines: Covaxin and Covishield. The story of Corona does not end with the vaccine. This gives us an effective weapon against Corona but the major task is to VACCINATE THE PEOPLE. Now, although India is vaccinating people equally incomparable to the US, UK, even more, the matter is not finished here. India is the second-largest country in terms of population after China and thus its rate of vaccination per 100 people should be more than any other country.
INDIA’S VACCINATION DRIVE
If the facts and figures are seen then India has a population of more than 136 crores and when compared to the population of the US which is nearly 10 times less than India. As of 15 May, India has administered 18.44 crore vaccines and 17,33,232 doses were given on 15 May. The Our World in Data Project, which collects government records shows that India has only vaccinated, both doses, 2.9% of the population whereas a single dose has been taken by the 10% of the population. There are many countries which are behind than India but if seen there many more countries which have fully vaccinated their number of people more than that of India. The irony is that India has its own vaccines and the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India then also India is not able to increase its speed of vaccination drive.
SLOWEST VACCINATION DRIVE
The vaccination drive of India is not slowest in terms of the administration of vaccines to the people but it is considered slowest in two aspects. First, India has its own vaccines and the largest manufacturer in the world and India has the capability of it. Second, India will not be able to vaccinate its population within 8 months. According to the report of TCS and NITIE, India will be able to vaccinate all adults if the vaccination of adults would have started from 15 April and 25 lakh doses per day. India has not fulfilled both of them.
The other reason which is being raised is the exports of the vaccines for diplomacy. If it is seen properly then the supply was made in COVAX, commercial obligations of the manufacturer, neighbouring countries and the UN peacekeeping missions. The export of vaccines was halted when the second wave of Corona surged. The whole point lies in the production of vaccines in the country. The country which is called ‘Pharmacy of the world’ is struggling with a number of vaccines doses.
CONSEQUENCES
The consequences of the vaccination drive being slow would be very fatal and drastic in terms of life and economy. As the news bulletins show a number of people died due to the lack of oxygen and other medical pieces of equipment and medicines after elapse of seven months then reports will come to these many people died due to lack of vaccines and their lives would have been saved.
The other consequences like a blot on the health facility of India, production of vaccines, lack of faith in the government cannot be excluded.
CONCLUSION
The point is not that India is not doing anything for its people but it is that India has to raise efforts to fast the vaccination drive to save the number of lives as much as possible. To vaccinate this large population which is 10 times more than the US, and even at this time also India is vaccinating more people daily than the US does, is in itself is a mammoth task. BUT the whole matter is that INDIA CAN FAST THE VACCINATION DRIVE; it has resources to manufacture vaccines to fulfil the demand. In the past time, India faced a lack of resources for a number of days when the US banned the export of raw material which is needed for manufacturing vaccines in India.
Earlier the people hesitated to vaccinate themselves and now the government is not able to vaccinate the people. To make it the largest and greatest vaccination drive in the world manufacturing companies, government and the medical institution has to ramp up their efforts. Manufacturing companies need to manufacture the vaccine; government needs to remove the hurdle which stops the companies to manufacture the vaccines and the medical department to vaccinate the people. Along with this major and main responsibility is on the shoulder of the government and in the current scenario are seen as not kept up properly. All together we need to make India’s vaccination drive to be the LARGEST AND GREATEST instead of LONGEST AND SLOWEST.
REFERENCE
· https://datacommons.org/place/country/IND?utm_medium=explore&mprop=count&popt=Person&hl=en