In India’s battle against COVID-19, time is of the essence. This relates to the speed of vaccine manufacture, transport and delivery. To achieve even a semblance of herd immunity, we need to vaccinate a large majority of adult Indians, and fast. With this aim in mind, the Central Government commenced a vaccination drive for all Indians aged 18 and above on May 1. However, the shortage of vaccine doses in many states and millions in the 45 – 60 year age group still waiting to be immunised mean only a handful of states have been able to extend their vaccination drives to all eligible adults.

The extension of the vaccination drive got off to a slow start, with several new users reporting outages on the CoWin registration website. Once that was sorted, vaccine applicants were directed to register themselves, and search for a suitable vaccination slot in their area pincode. As of May 4th, about 600,000 people in the 18 – 44 year age group were vaccinated, as per data from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Gujarat leads in the number of vaccinations administered in this age category. But there still remains a need to greatly ramp up India’s vaccination drive.

First and foremost, there is a need for targeted action. Many infection hotspots in states like Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab are strained for vaccination doses and resources, and require special assistance. The populace in such places need to be educated and empowered to get immunised against COVID-19 as soon as possible. India’s vaccine manufacturers, Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech, have also undertaken to increase production of Covishield and Covaxin respectively, the two vaccines in use at the moment, in addition to the recently-approved Russian-made Sputnik V. Now it’s only a matter of having the right logistics and supply chains in place to deliver these vaccine doses to those who need it the most.

Just like all such epochal tragedies, the COVID-19 pandemic too calls for a renewed sense of collective purpose, and focused effort to overcome the upheaval it has caused. It’s become quite clear, through stories of its gory spread and relentless destruction, that this illness represents an overarching sense of loss that threatens to overwhelm us, if we don’t share the burden.

We are doing our bit, with Network18 Sanjeevani – A Shot Of Life, a CSR initiative by Federal Bank, and India’s largest vaccination and awareness drive against COVID-19. Follow us for more updates, and make a stand for India’s health and immunity.

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