The COVID-19 vaccination drive in India is very inconsistent. On June 21, more than 80 lakh people got themselves vaccinated against COVID-19. It was a record-breaking and gladdening moment for India. But the pace isn’t strong enough to foil the COVID-19 third wave in the country. The third wave’s severity; depends upon the number of people getting vaccinated. However, hesitancy and shortage are two main reasons; that is slowing the vaccination pace.
India’s Vaccination Drive Needs to Ramp Up Soon
On June 21, experts felt that; India has finally accelerated its COVID-19 vaccination drive. It marked the beginning of a new vaccination phase. More than 80 lakh people; got vaccinated against COVID-19 in India that day. But is that enough? Experts believe that though it was a good start to a new phase; it is still not enough. India has just recovered; from a deadly second wave. Experts had previously warned that; a potential wave might arrive anytime soon. The third wave’s severity totally depends upon vaccination.
What did the Experts Say About it?
Gautam Menon, a professor at Ashoka University said that the single-day spike in vaccination; was a good sign. But that was only the result of a few states’ concerted efforts. All the states need to focus on their respective vaccination drives. He further said that India needs to vaccinate; at least 10 million people every day; to ensure that future waves are less destructive. Chandrakant Lahariya, an epidemiologist; called the single-day spike “an overzealous attempt”.
What are the Reasons Behind a Slow Vaccination Drive?
So far, India has vaccinated only 4 percent of its total population. There are several issues that lead to a slow vaccination drive. People in rural India are not willing to get vaccinated. They are quite skeptical about the vaccines. Moreover, vaccine shortage is another issue. Some states do not receive adequate vaccine doses. Besides that, vaccine wastage is another issue. Some states do buy enough vaccine doses, but they are simply wasted. India needs to maintain an average pace of 3.2 million doses every day. Then only, 45 percent of Indians will get vaccinated before 2021. And 60 percent before March 2022. If India’s vaccination drive upsurges 30 percent, 55 percent of the total population will get vaccinated; before this year ends.
