On January 7, a year after India launched the world’s largest vaccination programme, the country achieved a milestone when it completed the administration of a total of 1.5 billion doses. In comparison, the US provided 520 million, the UK 130.7 million doses. Currently, 92 percent of India’s eligible adult population has received the first dose of vaccine while 70 percent have received both doses. The program has been so successful that Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya calls it a “role model for the global community”. In fact, few countries have had to vaccinate a population as large or as geographically different as India. From sending vaccines via drones to remote areas in the upper Himalayas, to mobilizing local community leaders to address vaccine hesitation, the program has overcome many hurdles.
It is therefore no surprise that 82 per cent of respondents in the latest MOTN survey endorsed the vaccination program as a success, with almost 49 per cent rating the government’s efforts ‘excellent’. “We have been consistent in our efforts. Over the past year, the supply and availability of the vaccine has been streamlined. Our health workers have worked very hard. Our coverage today is remarkable,” says Dr VK Paul, chairman of the country’s vaccine committee.
Graphic by Tanmay Chakraborty
Having reached major milestones in coverage for adults, the program has now become more diverse to include people between the ages of 15 and 18. Within two weeks after the first jabs were given, 46 percent of eligible people had already received a dose. A third ‘precautionary’ dose has also been given to 1.8 million healthcare workers and 1.4 million frontline workers to protect them from the new strain of Covid, Omicron.
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When it comes to tackling the pandemic, while 66 per cent still expressed confidence in the government, the figure is lower than the 73 per cent that had lauded the government’s efforts in a January 2021 MOTN poll. The deadly second wave induced by the highly contagious Delta variant officially claimed the lives of nearly 400,000 people in March 2021 and caused long-term health and financial implications for thousands. The devastation and devastation of that wave is still fresh in the minds of many people. However, between August 2021 and January 2022, the country saw a period of low infectivity with only 37 new cases, zero deaths and a positivity rate of 0.06 per cent on October 24, 2021. The latest MOTN survey shows that around 35 per cent find the government’s Covid efforts to be ‘excellent’, nearly double the 13 per cent who expressed the same sentiment in August 2021, months after the second wave had subsided.
Graphics by Tanmay Chakraborty
The relative silence since the second wave has also revived confidence in the state’s health efforts. MOTN results 62 per cent are happy with the performance of their states, compared to 55 per cent in August 2021 and 70 per cent in January 2021.
Respondents from Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have expressed maximum satisfaction with their state’s efforts. Odisha, which topped the state’s performance with 76.7 per cent rated as ‘excellent’, has not only been successful in keeping the death rate and infection figures low, but also fully immunized the entire population of its capital Bhubaneswar in the country. It was also the first country to do so. , When it comes to COVID management, the public not only wants governments to provide medical infrastructure during times of growth, but has also expressed equal interest in knowing what steps are being taken to prevent future waves. What matters most is keeping the population safe for a long time.
Graphic by Tanmay Chakraborty
Graphic by Tanmay Chakraborty
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