The tug of war between the demonic COVID-19 virus and the scientists including from India, has reached a decisive stage where the virus seems finally being overpowered and seen getting vanquished gradually. After Russia and UK scientists made a breakthrough in finding out a vaccine, the ones researched and intensively worked on by Indian scientists have reached final stages of successful trials. It may be noted that the UK Government is planning to go in for mass vaccination within a few days. It is also worth noting that overall management and taking of timely decisions, announcing timely phases of lockdowns coupled with creation of requisite infrastructure quite fast as also promoting general awareness about the virus and the pandemic, this country can rightly claim many achievements based on various parameters having done better than many developed countries with better health infrastructure. Side by side, our scientists and Doctors were, day in and day out, trying to find out an effective vaccine in which success is not that far, as reliably learnt. India has also developed and prepared a software-Co-Win which was going to have real-time information about vaccination drive including available stocks of the vaccine and a National Expert Group comprising representation from the Union Government and the states being set up is to be tasked with spearheading such an exercise.
The Prime Minister has been closely monitoring issues regarding the pandemic and recently in an all parties conference, while sharing various valuable inputs with them, he announced that a COVID-19 vaccine may be ready just in a few weeks and based on experts’ feedback, he confirmed that it will not be ”too long”. The much awaited rather longed for an announcement in this regard, is a reason to cheer up. Not only that, he informed that vaccine drive in India would begin as soon as scientists gave the nod. Allaying any fears and apprehensions, PM Modi made it clear that the priority wise vaccination would be in the order of the healthcare workers involved in treating Corona virus patients, frontline workers including police personnel and municipal staff and old people suffering from serious conditions. The fears that the pandemic could pose a threat to the country’s internal security as felt by some opposition leaders and that policy makers must address the challenge, however, can be seen in the context of how the worst of this pandemic was ably managed.
Since with the arrival of the vaccine on which, at three different places, research work is going on and where vaccine is being presently developed, say at Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad and where the PM had recently gone to personally interact with scientists, that the PM found that lot of confidence about the success of the vaccine was in them, not only generated hopes of the countrymen in developing of the vaccine but most of the countries too were looking towards India since the vaccine manufactured from this country would be comparatively cheaper besides equally effective and safest. We could get an opportunity out of the present situation in that India could become a global centre for manufacturing of vaccines at a comparative affordable price.
From an atmosphere of fear and apprehensions as witnessed during the months of February and March this year, the one of ”hope and confidence” has replaced it. Our testing rate has not only considerably increased but the process has been made easy with setting up of more testing laboratories and facilities. However, the question is whether we, the countrymen, need to be going in for letting some sort of complacency setting in with the shortly expected arrival of the vaccine, the answer is an approach of continuance with the already tested ”proved weapon” as the PM put it, in the shape of using masks and maintaining social distance to keep the pandemic at bay. How laxities have proved to the detriment of the people’s safety across many countries is proven by an unusual surge in fresh infections there.That the COVID -19 consistent precautionary protocol has resulted in the peculiar type of fatigue and even irritation among the people had to be taken in the stride as there was no other alternative to remain aloof and away from its deadly infection. The need of the hour was to go in for a concerted and well organised but planned vaccination drive about which both opposition and ruling political parties were expected to work in tandem rather than resorting to cheap politics.
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