The Reality of Vax Indica

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The Reality of Vax Indica

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Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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• Global health inequalities: The biggest vaccination drive due to Covid-19 brought to fore inequalities in world health system. Low-income countries (LICs) missed out on their due share of shots till date, with only Guinea getting some experimental shots.
• What Rich are doing: The rich world is jumping the queue to directly deal with vaccine makers, taking large supplies with them and raising prices in the process! The poorer will now wait for longer than usual, forcing the WHO to say that "the world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure". [WHO - World Health Organisation]
• Story of India: It is a lower middle-income country, and one of the first to start vaccinating citizens, ahead of richer Asian rivals. 

1. It is the only among top 15 in terms of no. of doses given till date
2. Reason is the huge vaccine manufacturing ability of Indian firms, built over decades
3. India has regularly been giving more than 50% of all vaccines that the UN agencies use worldwide

• Pressure on GoI: There's pressure to vaccinate more people quickly, given the human cost India has suffered in 2020-21. But India hasn't chosen to not export vaccine doses. The high-risk populations across the border have been prioritised ahead of low-risk one inside the country. No one has opposed it either. (Why not? Perhaps no one wants to look bad, or perhaps not enough debate has happened on it at all)
• Emerging leader: In today's world, most powers act in self-interest, and this vaccine export strategy is a smart move by India. Within India, the effort is to ensure there's no regional inequality, and regional neighbours of India too are getting the shots.
• Which nations: India has sent supplies to Bhutan, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and the Seychelles. Some countries are still in process of giving regulatory clearances to India, e.g. Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius. Indian firms are finalising contracts with some others, right now.
• Covax later, India first: So Indian vaccines will come much earlier than those from the Covax facility hosted by WHO, a move by 64 higher-income countries to ensure vaccines reach those in most need. Even there, supplies from India will determine success. Supplies are likely to begin February 2021, due to competition from richer countries.
• Sarv santu niramaya: The message "may all be free from disease" is what India is telling the recipients. It's also what the Ayushman Bharat plan is all about. This vaccine internationalism is projecting India as a global player, because India already gave HCQ, remdesivir and paracetamol, ventilator kits, masks, gloves etc. to the world.
• China and Pakistan: The US missed out the chance on vaccine internationalism, and as on date, Pakistan has approved a Chinese vaccine already. India is trying to balance its strategic interests with its equity issues. The US was made a "lone wolf" superpower by Trump in four years, and rich world was acting on "me first" principle.
• Summary: The year 2021 may see India's reputation surge, if the vaccine internationalism works well, and if Indians in parallel get the doses in good measure.

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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