oppn parties Focus On Administering The Second Dose

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  • External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar condemned the use of terrorism as an instrument of statecraft and urged the United Nations to demonstrate stronger leadership in addressing global crises. Speaking at a New Delhi event marking the Chinmaya Mission's 75th anniversary, he said terrorism could neither be justified nor rationalised and called for greater international cooperation amid conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia
  • UP CEO orders audit of computer-fed voter forms sicne April 10
  • The India Meteorological Department reported that a depression over the east-central Bay of Bengal was expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm on Monday and potentially a very severe cyclonic storm before approaching the Andhra Pradesh coast around October 28
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Reserve Bank of India's ₹169-crore data centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute at Jatni near Bhubaneswar. The data centre will host critical payment and settlement systems, while the training institute will develop cybersecurity expertise for India's financial sector
  • A Congress worker at the centre of the controversy surrounding Kharge's Patna remarks alleged on Sunday that he had been assaulted and maintained that his original comments had been taken out of context. The allegations added a new dimension to the political dispute, although the circumstances of the alleged assault require further verification
  • Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge triggered a political controversy with a sharp remark about Modi during an event in Patna, while accusing the BJP and Election Commission of undermining democratic institutions through alleged electoral-roll manipulation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah condemned Kharge's language as indecent and accused the Congress of resorting to personal attacks against the Prime Minister
  • Protests continued at Jamia Millia Islamia as students demanded restoration of the students' union and elections, with four protesters remaining on hunger strike. The university had shifted classes online from Saturday, while security personnel restricted access to parts of the campus
  • Indian Railways extended its optional travel-insurance scheme to passengers buying reserved tickets at railway reservation counters, effective October 27. Passengers opting in will pay 45 paise per person, including taxes, for coverage of up to ₹10 lakh in the event of death or permanent total disability in covered incidents; digital payment and a valid mobile number are mandatory
  • The Indian Air Force held the grand finale of a three-day aerial display at Varanasi's Namo Ghat under the theme “Wings over Ganges”, marking its 94th anniversary
  • The All Indian Cine Workers Association condemned the treatment of singer Shilpa Rao after her performance at Mumbai's Bollywood Music Project was cut short on Saturday. The association said it would support legal action if Rao chose to pursue it, after her microphone was switched off before she could complete her set or thank the audience
  • Indian shuttler P. V. Sindhu lost the French Open women's singles final to South Korea's world number one An Se-young, going down 21–16, 11–21, 12–21. Sindhu won the opening game but could not sustain her advantage as An rallied to secure the title
  • Punjab FC defeated Churchill Brothers 3–2 in a dramatic Indian Super League match in Goa, with Konsam Sanathoi Singh scoring the winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The result came after the teams exchanged goals in a five-goal contes
  • Indian women beat Zimbabwe by 121 runs to seal the series 2-0. Harmanpreet Kaur (126) and Deepti Sharma (106 not out and 3 for 32) shone for India
  • Congress has put up posters in Lucknow demanding 200 assembly seats in its alliance with SP. The state has 403 seats in total and the demand is likely to create problems in the alliance
  • The Centre extended Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh's tenure by two years, until October 31, 2028, shortly before his existing term was due to end. Singh has also held additional charge of the Defence Research and Development Organisation since May, and the extension order did not clarify whether he would retain that responsibility
Stir in Arunachal against Siang dam turns violent, NHPC office and a police station set on fire while mobs loot and vandalise the homes of two MLAs and the state BJP president
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. 

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