As the second wave of the pandemic abates in India, governments have been able to focus on accelerating the rollout of immunization, administering millions of doses per day, writes Kaveri Mishra.
During the year 2021, India made it its mission to vaccinate its massive population against COVID-19. The central government has set itself the ambitious goal of vaccinating the entire eligible population by the end of 2021, and is making steady progress.
This month, the country’s first dose vaccination rate exceeded 50 percent, with millions shots administered per day.
The country’s first shots were administered on January 16, 2021, marking the start of one of the world’s largest vaccination campaigns. As in other countries, the rollout was divided into phases, with the first phase of immunization covering frontline health workers and very vulnerable people, before moving on to the elderly and finally to young Indians.
Three vaccines have been approved. Covian, manufactured by Indian pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech, Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under license from AstraZeneca, and Russian vaccine Sputnik V. Since the start of the deployment, nearly one billion doses were administered in the country.
This pace is bringing India closer to the goal of immunizing the entire eligible population in the country, but, as has been the case in many other places, Indian governments have faced challenges along the way. .
On the one hand, India’s second wave of COVID-19 in May 2021 had a serious impact on India’s health infrastructure just as the rollout was gaining momentum. The battered health sector faced a shortage of hospital beds, as well as a huge shortage of oxygen and medicine. This period saw the number of reported cases and deaths in India reach the highest level in the world, although it has since fallen behind the United States in terms of cases and Brazil in terms of cases. concerns deaths.
These shortages, especially of oxygen cylinders, oximeters and life-saving drugs, have resulted in hoarding, to skyrocket prices and other inhumane behavior, and this crisis has slowed the country’s efforts to launch its vaccine.
This is not the only reason why the vaccination campaign has not been a smooth affair for Indian health authorities.
As elsewhere, controversy has engulfed the idea of ​​vaccination itself in India. Myths about vaccine side effects ranging from impotence to infertility have proliferated, and religious objections the testing and manufacturing process have also led to hesitation about the vaccine in some communities.
Still, there is cause for optimism and the vaccination campaign has shown positive signs for India’s future.
Himachal Pradesh recently reached its goal of 100% first-dose immunization – a promising and wonderful achievement, especially given the region’s mountainous terrain, has made the task of health workers a Herculean task to reach some of its most remote, nestled villages in narrow mountain passes. That the state can pass this logistical test bodes well for other Indian states seeking to overcome similar challenges.
Larger states like Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat have also been able to accelerate vaccination accelerates as the second wave diminishes. Uttar Pradesh, a large state with a diverse population, has crossed 120 million doses administered by mid-October, reaching 63% first-dose immunization coverage.
In this context, companies were directly involved for the first time in the vaccination campaign. From information technology companies to the education sector, vaccination booths have been installed in work places so that staff can get vaccinated free of charge.
As has been the case in other countries, hospitals and private clinics encouraged those who had taken the vaccine to share their experience on social media, which accompanied government promotion and awareness campaigns.
Since online registration is often part of the immunization process, people living in rural areas with low literacy rates and low digital literacy levels were particularly vulnerable to misinformation or confusion about the vaccine.
To help with this, health workers even went door to door, the risk of infection, to raise awareness, encourage people to get vaccinated and answer questions about rumors surrounding vaccination and its side effects. Women have played a vital role in both leading and participating in these initiatives.
A a crucial part of this is that the second wave has abated in India, with new cases of COVID-19 drastically declining, easing pressure on the healthcare sector. Unfortunately, some experts to predict a third wave is expected to hit India soon, but if the country’s governments and health sector can continue their vital work, the damage from the virus could be greatly reduced by their efforts.
Ultimately, even if India does not reach the fullness of its goals by a third wave, several million Indians are already at much less risk of dying from COVID-19 than they were. at the start of this year. With sensible government pandemic guidelines and community loyalty to them, the vaccinations will ensure India’s third wave, if and when it does, will not be a repeat of its deadly predecessor.
