Covid-19 Vaccination in India: We need Parity

by Bhavika Chandwani

Vaccines can give communal protection by decreasing the transmission of illness within a population, as well as individual protection for people who are vaccinated. When a transmitting case comes into touch with a susceptible individual, person-to-person infection occurs.

India donated vaccinations as grant-in-aid to other countries just a few days after launching its own COVID-19 immunization campaign. This was in stark contrast to other high-income countries that had vaccination stockpiles. Even though India is currently experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe, immunization rates continue to decline. While it is impossible to travel back in time and make adjustments to ensure that vaccines are available to all, modifying the present vaccination approach (which is plagued with equity concerns) can save lives, reduce the strain on health systems, and preserve a healthy environment throughout the pandemic.

The initial vaccination plan in India was to vaccinate priority groups in order: healthcare personnel, frontline workers, individuals over 50 years old, and younger people with comorbid illnesses (diabetes, hypertension, cancer, lung diseases) this promoted equity by prioritizing people who are most at danger.

The Indian government, on the other hand, altered its policy monthly, introducing more comprehensive vaccine eligibility requirements. The most recent of them occurred in the final week of April 2021, when the Indian government unveiled a new “liberal vaccination policy.” In the middle of the present crisis, which is already plagued by shortages, the new policy declared that everyone above the age of 18 would be eligible, essentially eliminating any distribution or pricing limits for producers. This is unprecedented- no other federal democracy requires individuals to pay for COVID-19 vaccinations, nor does it require states to compete for supply.

The reality of vaccine shortages must be openly acknowledged first, followed by the adoption of a practical and equity-based policy. Only 37% of frontline and health professionals had been completely vaccinated by mid-April according to media sources.

People "who matter and are in need" must take precedence over the "rich and privileged" in India. Vaccination of non-priority persons between the ages of 18 and 45 should be halted until priority groups are adequately covered. For this aim, a moral, social, and human rights perspective is required. Priority groups should include young individuals with mental health issues, informal sanitation and cremation workers, families of frontline workers and healthcare professionals, hawkers, home-delivery workers, convicts, homeless people, those living in slums, and field journalists. States like West Bengal and Delhi have re-defined priority groups in some cases. However, this is not the case everywhere throughout the country.

Adopting a policy of "One Nation, One Price, One Vaccine Buyer," in which the Indian government purchases vaccines and distributes them free to all Indian residents, is the need of the hour. To address the shortfall, it can grant compulsory licenses for all COVID-19 vaccines (under Section 92 of the Indian Patent Act for public health crises). Pandemic profiteering might be avoided with a single buyer and a fixed price of Rs.150 for the entire country.