The administration of 100 crore Covid-19 vaccines to the population is an important milestone on a road paved with difficulties, and the country has done well to achieve it. The credit for it should go to a wide range of stakeholders -- primarily the Covishield vaccine-maker Serum Institute of India, the country’s health workers, central and state governments and, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, the people of the country. There were serious problems and missteps related to strategy and implementation in the initial months.
The programme started tardily on January 16, with inadequate orders placed for vaccines, concerns over hasty approvals given to them, shortages, and an unseemly politics over it between the central and state governments, all adding to vaccine hesitancy. It was the experience of the devastating second wave of the pandemic in April-May that catalysed the programme. The vaccine-makers ramped up production, enabling vaccinations to all adults. The Supreme Court’s intervention forced the Centre to own up responsibility and supply vaccines to the states, speeding up the programme. Nine months later, a major part of the population has been covered with at least one dose.
While the achievement is commendable, the empty part of the glass should not be lost sight of. Only 75% of the eligible population has been given one dose of the vaccine and just about 30% has received both doses considered necessary for good protection. The increase in the number of first dose jabs was achieved by increasing the gap between the two required doses, but that has resulted in slowing down the pace of the second dose jabs. The second dose jabs need to be expedited now, but that may be possible only after the first dose reaches everyone. Even at a higher pace of vaccination, this can take many more months.
India’s achievement should be seen against the performance of countries like China and the US. China has fully vaccinated over 75% of its population and the US has approved booster doses and started giving them to those who need it. Vaccine-makers in India have increased production, so their availability is not a problem. But it is unlikely that the country will be able to achieve 100% coverage with the first dose by the end of the year. After that, more months may be needed to deliver the second dose. It is not yet clear how long the immunity induced by vaccines will last. The efficacy of the vaccines against the variants of the virus is also not fully tested. So, self-congratulation and complacency are not warranted. While the milestone is fine, it should be noted that we have not yet covered half the distance on the road.