Phase 2 of Vaccination Drive
Touted to be the world’s largest vaccination drive, India has already vaccinated lakhs of frontline and healthcare workers. To mitigate the risks and keep the virus in check, the central government has opened the vaccination drive for the general public– people aged 60 years and older. This second phase of vaccinations also includes individuals who are 45 years and older with co-morbidities.
As per the numbers released by the government, around 15 lakh senior citizens were vaccinated yesterday 5th March taking the total number of people vaccinated in the country to 1.94 crore. While healthcare and frontline workers are now taking their second doses, there has been a mild response from the senior citizens who are not thronging the vaccination centers in large numbers as expected.
India’s two leading vaccines – Covishield and Cowaxin are both being administered to the general public. While most centres have only one of the two vaccines, there is some uncertainty still in the public about which jab they must take. People’s experiences at the vaccination centres have been good so far with the government managing the entire drive effectively using the Cowin application that allows people to register for their vaccine, schedule and appointment and download the certificate.
How long is it going to take India to vaccinate all of its 130 crore population? Only time will tell.