Rethink Covid-19 vaccine strategy for larger coverage

Even as the number of Covid-19 cases is rising in the country, the availability of vaccines and the protocols and guidelines for vaccination have become matters of avoidable dispute. The daily tally of infections has gone over a record 1.25-lakh mark and there are fears that the second wave may be faster and more sweeping in its spread than the first. Some states have imposed restrictions like night curfews and other measures to reduce transmission, as in earlier days. What is different now is that vaccines are available, but there are unfortunate controversies about them. Some states like Maharashtra, which has the largest share of the caseload and new infections in the country, and Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh have said they are facing a shortage of vaccine doses. The Centre has asserted that there is no shortage. The matter has turned into a Centre-state dispute with political overtones. Though India has a large manufacturing capacity, the available supply cannot fully meet the demand. The Serum Institute of India (SII), which is the main manufacturer, and Bharat Biotech, which produces Covaxin, have sought more funds to expand capacity. The SII has also sought a higher price for its vaccine. The government needs to pay heed to this.

There is increasing demand to expand the vaccine coverage to more sections of the population. The government has said that vaccines would be given not to those who want it but to those who need it. That’s not good public policy. The government will do well not to arbitrarily decide who needs it. Everyone needs it. The current vaccination strategy was made when the number of cases was on the decline. It needs to be reformulated, now that the numbers are rising. It is a good sign that more people are going in for vaccination, and the government should try to extend the service. More people in the younger age groups are getting infected in the current wave, and they are more likely to spread the infection. So, the demand for extending coverage to these groups is justified. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also supported it.

Till now, only about nine crore people have received the jab. Over three million people are being vaccinated every day, and at this rate it will take more than one year to cover two-thirds of the population. This is too slow a pace. It is necessary to give authorisation for more vaccines, increase vaccine production and expand the coverage. It is also imperative to keep politics out of the fight against Covid.