oppn parties Focus On Administering The Second Dose

News Snippets

  • For the first time ever, Mukesh Ambani buys a 29% stake in Gautam Adani's Mahan Energen, a subsidiary of Adani Power to source 500MW of electricity from the company's power plant in MP
  • Stocks continue to rise on Thursday - Sensex gains 639 points to 73635 and Nifty 203 points to 22326
  • Golf - Indian Open: 3 Indians at tied 14th as Joost Luiten takes the lead with a wonderful 7-under 65
  • IPL: RR beat DC by 12 runs as Riyan Parag (84 off just 45 balls) shines
  • SP drops two candidates owing allegiance to Azam Khan from Rampur and Moradabad
  • In Assam, a controversy erupted after a picture of UPPL leader Benjamin Basumatary, lying on a stack of Rs 500 notes circulated on social media. UPPL is an ally of the BJP
  • AAP's Jalandhar-West MP Sushil Kumar Rinku joins the BJP. He was the only AAP Lok Sabha MP
  • Supreme Court dismisses Centre's plea to review its 2023 verdict in the PMLA case
  • Close save for passengers as they remain unhurt after the wings of two planes graze at Kolkata airport. Pilots derostered and inquiry ordered by DGCA
  • Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh gets notice from the EC as well as the BJP for making ugly remarks about Mamata Banerjee's parentage
  • Sadanand Vasanth Date, who faught terrorists in the 26/11 attack and was awarded the Preisent's Police medal, has been appointed the head of the NIA
  • Centre will borrow Rs 7.5L cr in the first six months of FY25, nearly 50% of the target for the full year
  • 25 stocks, including SBI, will see same day trade settlements from today in the world's fastest settlement mode in both BSE and NSE
  • Stocks recover smartly on Wednesday: Sensex rises 526 points to 72996 and Nifty 118 points to 22123
  • Tennis: Rohan Bopanna-Matthew Ebden reached the semifinals of the Miami Open
Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena says government cannot be run from jail, hints at President's Rule in the capital ////// In a dangerous incident, the wings of two planes grazed while taxiing on the runway at Kolkata airport, all passengers were safe but DGCA ordered an inquiry and the pilots were derostered
oppn parties
Focus On Administering The Second Dose

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2021-10-29 01:49:22

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

It is distressing that more than 10cr people have missed their second Covid vaccine dose appointment in India. As it has been proved by tests the vaccines work optimally only after the second dose has been administered, India’s chances of achieving herd immunity will get reduced if such a large number of people do not take the second dose. Also, lately there has been talk of administering a booster dose to supplement the first two doses. If so many people refrain from taking the second dose, how will the booster dose be administered?

What has prompted these people from coming forward to take the first dose? Experts have given the usual reasons like vaccine hesitancy, misplaced fears of side effects or complacency due to incorrect belief that a single dose is enough could be the reasons for this omission. But it could also be due to the fact that when it was the time to take the second dose, the vaccine shortage made them make the rounds of vaccine centres without avail. This might have put them off. Also, some might have suffered serious adverse side effects from the first dose and are scared in taking the second. Then there is also the vile misinformation campaign being run by vested interests in numerous WhatsApp groups and over social media.

But whatever the reason, it puts them and the whole community under threat. Hence, the government must take steps to make them take the second dose without delay. It also needs to be found out that if the second dose will be effective if a long time has passed after they took the first dose. If not, these people will have to take both the doses again. The government must start an awareness campaign and also begin a disincentive process whereby those who are not fully vaccinated must not be allowed entry in public places. Although the protocol is in force in some places, checks are not done properly. This process has to be strictly implemented.