On the day of writing this article, India registered 314,644 new COVID-19 infections — the highest to date. As I sift through news channels, I see sordid visuals of bodies lined up for burial, “22 COVID-19 patients died due to oxygen leak,” an anchor says, and bereaved family members look from afar, as PPE-kitted undertakers carry their loved ones away. I wouldn’t trust these overworked morticians to know the body count; it’s not hard to keep a tally, but just sad.
I remember seeing a different media rhetoric merely a couple of months back. At the time, India — the “pharmacy of the world” — was making the rounds for offering 1.1 billion vaccine doses to the UN’s program for distribution in low and middle-income countries. This deed during difficult times, called the “Vaccine Maitri”, naturally made me proud. After all, we Indians believe in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family). But today, I can’t help but ask: At what cost?
The upside
According to MEA data, India has supplied 66 million doses to 94 countries so far. This selfless effort has been lauded by many recipients, particularly from low-income regions. On the diplomacy front, this move has helped India wield its soft power, countering China’s own vaccine diplomacy called the “Health Silk Road” project. Many experts have lauded India’s strategic approach, which they believe will strengthen India’s claim to a permanent seat at the UN Security Council. At the very least, it has improved India’s strained ties with neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. But that’s as far as the positives go.
The cost
Amid rising “vaccine apartheid” and “vaccine nationalism” from leading economies across the globe, India’s stance is indeed praiseworthy. Leading economies have grabbed 60% of the vaccines, while they constitute just 16% of the global population. As they safeguard their national interests, India has only inoculated 17 million citizens with two doses — a measly 1.22% of its entire population! At this rate, it could take India more than 10 years to vaccinate 75% of its population. Such a low inoculation rate is a recipe for disaster, especially taking into account that India is now the second worst-affected country by COVID-19. We are waking up to reports of “new immune-escape variant”, “triple mutant”, etc.
Considering India supplies more than 60% of the world’s vaccines against diseases like polio and measles, one would imagine India to boast the highest inoculation rate. But the grim reality is such that the Modi-led government is unable to negotiate a fair price with Serum Institute of India, a company caught between corporate interests and nationalism. The company’s new offer, which is different for the Centre and the States, has only aggravated the crisis.
Overt lack of central support to opposition-run States like Kerala and Maharashtra has been widely reported over the past year. And pricing disparities could fuel such biases and lead to disastrous outcomes. Maharashtra is currently reeling under the second wave, but the Centre is not laying additional emphasis. The situation elsewhere isn’t any better — there is a shortage of oxygen, Remdesivir, beds, etc. The Central government is at a loss of options — to the point that I have doubts over its ability to timely vaccinate its own citizens, let alone honor its commitment to “Vaccine Maitri”.
Perhaps, before the second wave, when everyone got complacent and India got generous with vaccines, the government should have put some thought into when is the right time to donate, what percentage of citizens should be vaccinated first, etc. Instead, our leaders basked in the short-lived glory of complimentary tweets from foreign leaders, daydreaming of becoming a “vaccine superpower”, while the second wave caught us unawares. We are now paying a heavy price. But the question remains: When will this end?
I wouldn’t expect the government to know.
