India’s fight against COVID -The Success story

-- Jeffery Frederick., 5-A, Indian learners’ Own Academy

Thursday, January 12, 2023

As the pandemic spread worldwide, the Indian Government recommended social distancing measures and also initiated travel and entry restrictions. Throughout March 2020, several shutdowns and business closures were initiated, and by the end of the month, the Indian government ordered a widespread lockdown.

Our Indian Government arranged for (i) isolation and quarantine facility, (ii) disease surveillance and testing, (iii) ensuring availability of essential medical equipment, (iv) augmenting human resource and capacity building, (v) supply chain and logistics management, (vi) coordination with private sector, (vii) economic and welfare measures, (viii) information etc.

India has the highest recovery rate among all the worst-affected countries at 97.3 per cent.
In addition, India's case fatality rate is below 1.5 per cent.

Currently, the country has two Made-in-India vaccines - Oxford- Astrazeneca's Covishield, and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin. The latter has shown to be effective against the UK strain, and AstraZeneca says it is working to adapt its vaccine to the new strains. So if mutations are the new big threat, vaccines have the solution. India has an edge here too. Currently, India is running the world's largest vaccination programme.

Over 82 lakh people have been vaccinated as of February 15, 2021, according to India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. India was the first country to vaccinate over 70 lakh people in 26 days. Despite this, some critics say that India's vaccine rollout is too slow. India is not just immunising its own, but also millions outside its borders.

Made-in-India vaccines have reached at least 20 countries in the form of both grants and commercial supplies. On February 14, Mexico received its shipment of Indian vaccines. Even Canada is expected to get coronavirus vaccines from India.

Deloitte predicts that India will be second only to the United States in terms of vaccine production this year. India is estimated to produce 3.5 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines in 2021, with the US having an edge by 0.5 billion.

Unlike developed countries, India will not try to ban vaccine exports. Even before the coronavirus struck - India would produce around 60 per cent of the world's vaccines. Almost a year into the pandemic- the world is leaning on India for vaccine supplies. At the beginning of the pandemic, South Korea emerged as a success story with its gold standard testing programme. Germany then challenged the virus wave in Europe with its response framework.

And now, when the world's richest nations are still struggling to cope with the virus, India is recording a decline in the virus cases. Currently, India is leading with an exemplary recovery rate while running the world's largest vaccination programme. India is providing free vaccines not just at home but also outside.


PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN. JAI HIND.