A good start to vaccine campaign

The second phase of the Covid-19 vaccination drive has got off to a start with a fairly good response from the targeted groups. All those who are above 60 years of age and those with a range of co-morbidities in the 45-59 age group are to be covered in this phase. It is a massive operation that involves about one-fifth of the population. There are expectations and excitement among many, and some have received their vaccination shot. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did well to lead the campaign, receiving his shot on the first day, as did several other prominent leaders and public personalities. That was a welcome move which should give encouragement and confidence to many people who may be hesitant about taking the vaccine for various reasons. There was some confusion in the past three days and there were some glitches, and they need to be cleared and sorted out at the earliest.

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The government has opened up the vaccination programme by involving the private sector, and rightly so because government facilities alone will not be enough to vaccinate our large population. There are over 10,000 centres now, of which about 2,000 are private facilities. While vaccination is free of cost in government facilities, private players have been allowed to charge Rs 250 per shot. The infrastructure and facilities need to be stepped up so that the programme reaches every eligible person everywhere. The first phase of the programme was not a complete success. The first dose was received by only 76.6% of healthcare workers and 47.7% of frontline workers; even fewer turned up for the second dose when it was offered. Some states have adopted a stern policy to persuade them to go in for vaccination. But a coercive policy is not possible and desirable in the case of the larger population as it will only be counterproductive.

The interest and enthusiasm which is seen among second phase beneficiaries should be sustained with quick and easy access to vaccination. Bottlenecks, difficulties and long delays will lead to loss of interest. There may also be large numbers of people waiting to see whether the vaccines are safe before taking a decision to go for the jab themselves. Coverage of rural areas will call for a different strategy than is being pursued now. There is a need for more awareness campaigns. Effective implementation of the programme is especially important because the daily infections have once again started to rise in some parts of the country. New strains of the virus have also been found. It must be ensured that the vaccination drive moves faster than the virus in such areas.