Editorial: Covid not yet over

The surge in the number of Covid-related hospitalisations in the United States in the last few weeks comes as a warning signal to other countries as well.

Hyderabad: The pandemic is far from over. The surge in the number of Covid-related hospitalisations in the United States in the last few weeks comes as a warning signal to other countries as well. Though India has done reasonably well in handling the pandemic, the vaccination coverage still needs to be stepped up. So far, 68.2% of the country’s eligible population has been fully covered while 73.7% has received at least one dose of the vaccine. Of the 95 crore fully vaccinated individuals, just 22 crore have availed the booster dose. Only 40% of the eligible senior citizens have availed a booster dose and only 25% of those in the 45-59 age group. Keeping in view the reinfection rates, the Centre must allow booster doses once every six months for those willing to take it. With such a large population and sparse health infrastructure, India should not economise or be complacent regarding vaccination. A major push must be given for total vaccination coverage by roping in municipalities and other local bodies. The World Health Organization (WHO) has consistently been warning that the pandemic has not gone anywhere and that emergence of new variants with more virility could happen any time. Covid surveillance mechanisms need to be continued with the same zeal. People should be encouraged to wear masks in public places and maintain physical distance. The Centre must provide monetary incentives to domestic vaccine companies like Serum Institute of India (SII), Bharat Biotech and Biological E, to update their vaccines to fight against the latest coronavirus variants.

There are lessons to be learnt for the rest of the world from China’s flip-flops in handling the pandemic. Its ‘zero-Covid’ policy backfired, leading to massive public protests against unreasonable restrictions, while the local Covid vaccines have turned out to be less effective. For a country like India, there is a need to track new variants and hospitalisations, incentivise vaccine companies to develop and update vaccines and drugs, and persuade citizens to get vaccinated and boosted. After the Omicron surge in January, Covid had eased up allowing a full reopening of schools, colleges and offices. On the other hand, there is a surprisingly sharp decline in vaccinations. What is more alarming is that most Indian vaccine companies have stopped production of Covid vaccines. SII stopped producing its workhorse Covishield last December after lakhs of doses expired. Bharat Biotech’s new intranasal vaccine has been approved as a heterologous booster after passing safety and immunogenicity trials. Though its efficacy has to be gauged, the company has sought its inclusion in the CoWin portal so that citizens can get the shot. Along with providing incentives to domestic firms to focus on R&D, foreign vaccine makers like Pfizer and Moderna which have been constantly updating their vaccines should be invited to produce in India.