A vaccine milestone

Govt learns from mistakes but the fight isn't over

India justifiably had much to celebrate on Sunday, when the country crossed the milestone of two billion Covid-19 vaccines administered, with at least two-thirds of the population having received two doses. This is no small achievement in a country the size of India with its argumentative federal structure and social and geographical complexities. The milestone, powered by a swiftly created IT backbone, is also worth celebrating when set against the faltering start to the Covid-19 vaccine programme in January 2021 with poor supply planning leading to artificial restrictions on access, which inevitably delayed the economic recovery. In the final reckoning, the government rapidly learnt from its early mistakes as vaccine deliveries, initially delayed by late orders and a rash commitment to supply neighbouring countries, were streamlined and states were allowed a bigger role in deciding their own programmes. First, after considerable criticism from the medical community, the gap between the first and second dose was reduced. This year, the government brought down the gap between the second and the third (booster) dose from nine months to six. The decision to locate two-thirds of government vaccination centres in rural areas addressed the key issue of vaccine coverage of a dispersed rural population, which had swelled considerably following the return of migrant labourers during the lockdown of 2020. The use of the child vaccination network to administer vaccines to children in the 12-17 year group has also come in handy. The Centre’s decision earlier this month to allow free booster doses for all citizens between 18 and 59 years at government centres for 75 days as a celebration of the 75th anniversary of independence reflects the comfortable supply situation, since there is some urgency to use up stocks of vaccines that may otherwise expire.

The well-earned glow of self-congratulation within the corridors of power should not, however, dim the reality of the relentless follow-up work that is needed to make this success sustainable. The fight against Covid-19 may have abated but as the steadily rising numbers show, it is far from over. Though the variants that are currently circulating are manifestly weaker than the dreaded ones that killed so many people in 2020 and 2021, epidemiologists point out that the milder impact is the result of larger numbers of people being vaccinated. In other words, the effort urgently needs to be focused on getting the entire population vaccinated with at least one booster dose. At last count, 92 per cent of Indians who were eligible for the third dose are late for this shot, a problem that the government hopes to address with its free 75-day programme. Beyond that, there is also a need to consider moving towards the fourth dose, at least for the elderly and frontline workers. This cohort would have taken their boosters in January or so, and the immunity is likely to be wearing off. At the same time, with economic activity now back to near-normal, it remains critical that the Centre mobilises public opinion towards keeping mask mandates in place for a while longer. As China’s experience has shown, we’re some distance from a zero-Covid world, so vigilance remains the best remedy yet.