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There might not be a single soul who wasn’t yearning for a vaccine when the Covid-19 outbreak caused mayhem around this time last year. It disrupted economic activities and brought normal life to a grinding halt following lockdowns being imposed to contain the spread of the virus. As cases soared, several countries were forced to shut their borders and impose restrictions on citizens to mitigate its spread. Scientists and researchers across the world started working on developing a vaccine for the new disease on a war footing as pressure continued to mount. Many experts projected the development of a vaccine by mid-2021 which was an optimistic projection going by past trends. However, several vaccine candidates went into trial and within a few months a handful of them were approved for emergency use before the end of the year. In India, Covishield, manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India and developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and Covaxin made by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech were granted emergency use authorisation. The speed at which these vaccines and a few others were developed in record time was a remarkable achievement for the scientific community around the globe. What appeared like a distant dream a year ago has become a reality. And India is fortunate to have two vaccines being manufactured in the country, which will enable the government to inoculate the citizens as well as reach out to other countries in need of it.
But the response to what Indian government has described as “world’s largest Covid-19 vaccination drive” is not satisfactory. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data shows that more than 1.66 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered to healthcare workers, frontline workers, senior citizens and those aged above 45 years with specific comorbidities from January 16 till date. The number is far behind the 30 crore target the central government had set to achieve in the first phase. The ambitious vaccination drive was marred by hesitancy among the healthcare and frontline workers who were given the opportunity to receive the jab first. Meanwhile, there seems to be enthusiasm among the senior citizens as more than 10 lakh had come forward to receive their first dose since India rolled out the second phase of the programme on March 1. The President of the India, Prime Minister, Nagaland Governor and Chief Minister, and hordes of lawmakers aged above 60 years were also among the beneficiaries. India should cash in on this enthusiasm and take up the drive with concerted effort because it is the only hope to get back to normal life and revive the limping economy. The Centre and state governments should address the problem of vaccine hesitancy, distrust and confusion caused by rumours, misinformation and lack of knowledge about vaccination. Covaxin’s 81% clinical efficacy, as announced by its makers Bharat Biotech, also should clear the controversy around it and help build public trust in the vaccines. Not only should the benefits of vaccination be disseminated to those who are yet to be inoculated, receivers of first dose should get the second dose on time. Immunisation will help restore normalcy.