Vaccination Must Be Speeded Up
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-03-10 09:32:19
About the Author
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
The biggest vaccination drive in the world in India is moving very slowly and the danger of not inoculating a critical mass in good time to provide herd immunity to all is increasing fast. As it is, fresh Covid cases are rising fast in India and newer strains are queering the pitch further. The government has taken several steps to increase penetration and speed up the process, including opening up vaccination for seniors and those with comorbidities in the 45-59 age bracket and involving the private sector in the drive, but the slow pace means that other measures have become necessary.
To start with, stocks permitting, all restrictions must be removed and vaccination must be made open to all. Then, the process of registration must be tweaked to allow sale of the vaccines in pharmacies and allow people to get vaccinated privately. Further, more vulnerable groups like those who work in wholesale or retail markets, operate public transport or those who live in congested areas like slums (bustees and jhuggi-jhopris) must be identified and special drives to inoculate them must be started. Finally, special drives for inoculation must also be undertaken in areas that are showing a surge in fresh infections. The government must also address the issue of vaccine hesitancy among the people.
Further, both the people and the administrations across India are showing dangerous laxity in following/enforcing Covid-related health protocols. Forgetting the sane advice of "dawai bhi, kadai bhi", people have become dangerously careless and administrations are turning a blind eye to these transgressions. More than 50% of those out on the streets are without masks, many office buildings have stopped providing sanitizers and social distancing has gone for a toss as more and more sectors are reopening. At this rate all the gains of the last 12 months will go down the drain. India must tighten its belt and show more urgency in the fight against the virus.
pic courtesy:indian express
