Recently India crossed the momentous milestone of fully vaccinating 80% of its adult population, securing over 97% with the first dose, administering over 175 crore doses – no mean number by any feat.
As media covered this story, some coverage from not long ago comes to mind, when several sections and ‘experts’ reported that India would take 10-12 years to fully vaccinate its population. By crossing such a landmark number, India has demonstrated that it leads the global fight in emerging out of the pandemic.
As the second most populated country in the world, India’s ability to tide over the pandemic runs parallel to global efforts. When the pandemic struck, India lacked almost all tools required to fight a global pandemic – PPE kits, testing kits, masks, ventilators, essential medicines and vaccines. However, the Prime Minister’s insistence on augmenting domestic production versus relying on imports, ensured that India became self-reliant, securing itself in a short period of time. This aatmanirbharta, a drift from a decades-long thought-process of Western fascination, was particularly crucial in our vaccine development and production efforts.
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