Covid-19 Vaccination - Status, Issues, and

Comparison

India launched the biggest vaccination drive against the Covid-19 virus in the world in January 2021.
The Government initially approved two vaccines: Covaxin of Bharat Biotech and Covishield of Serum
Institute of India (SII), both of which were produced in India.

Status
As of 7th July 2021, 35.4 crore people have been inoculated, out of which almost five per cent have
been fully vaccinated, and twenty-one per cent have had at least one dose of the vaccine. [1]

"The rural coverage is intense and in a good proportion. The vaccination numbers from Monday
(21st June 2021) were almost in proportion to the rural-urban population division in the country. It
proves that it is possible to take the vaccination drive to the rural and remote areas." -- Dr VK Paul,
Member (Health), NITI Aayog

3.29 billion doses have been administered globally, and 24.6% of the world population has received
at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Even though it seems like good progress, only 1% of people
in low-income countries have received at least one dose. [1]

Issues
One of the issues with vaccination is making it available to such a vast population. Managing vaccine
stocks at thousands of local inventories and health centres is enormously challenging. In a country
often plagued by power cuts and transmission faults, the stakes are higher than ever. [2]

The reluctance of people from small towns and rural areas to get vaccinated is another significant
barrier to this vaccination drive.

According to a BCG's survey, which was fielded from 23rd May to 28, covering nearly 4,000
respondents across metros and smaller towns and cities and rural India. A whopping 63% in rural
areas and 43% in smaller cities didn't know how to register on the CoWIN app for vaccination; 60%
of rural residents and 40% of those in smaller towns did not even know how to enrol for vaccination.
Among those who had not taken the vaccine despite being available, issues with the registration on
the CoWIN app were the main reasons. Two thirds (65%) of all Indians in big towns faced issues with
the app, with non-availability of vaccination slots and fear of crowds at the centre. In contrast, 55%
in smaller cities and 53% in rural areas had issues with the technology behind seeking slots for
vaccination. [3]

According to the World Health Organization, the three critical reasons for vaccine hesitancy are a
lack of confidence (in the vaccine itself or in the healthcare system), complacency, and difficulties in
obtaining the vaccine (logistics).[4]
Also, after President Biden invoked the US Defense Production Act (DPA) earlier this year, granting
US vaccine companies priority access, India's vaccine manufacturing was affected by raw material
shortages. As another Covid wave hit India, the US administration agreed to provide "particular raw
materials" to develop Covishield vaccinations in the country. However, the Serum Institute claims
that it can still obtain the supplies it needs from the United States.

Comparison
According to the data from government sources by the Our World in Data project at the University
of Oxford. There is a significant gap between continents. Africa has the slowest rate of inoculation
amongst all the continents, with several governments yet to undertake mass vaccination campaigns.
Less developed countries rely on Covax, a vaccine-sharing programme that promises to give two
billion doses by the end of the year. [5]

Eighty-five per cent of vaccines that have been given worldwide have been administered in high- and
upper-middle-income countries. Only 0.3 per cent of doses have been administered in low-income
countries.

While only 21 per cent of India's population has been vaccinated, countries like Canada, Italy, United
States and Brazil have vaccinated 68.86%, 57.21%, 54.63%, 37.39% of their population, respectively.

References
[1] Our world in data - Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations - Statistics and Research - Our World in
Data

[2] India's challenges with covid-19 vaccination   - The BMJ

[3] Times of India-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/83504338.cms?

utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

[4] Microsoft Word - Oct 3 WORKING GROUP on vaccine hesitancy_final.docx (who.int)

[5] Covax, an international health group, announces vaccine deals to help less wealthy countries. -
The New York Times (nytimes.com)