Christmas evening gave a lot of hope to millions of Indians who were waiting for their children to get the vaccine against the Coronavirus and also the booster doses for people with weak immunity as the country is on the verge of facing another wave of the pandemic from the new Omicron variant.
“Vaccination will start for children between 15 and 18 years of age. It will start from Monday, January 3, 2022. This decision will strengthen the country’s fight against Coronavirus”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address to the nation on 25 December. He also announced precaution doses for healthcare workers and people above 60 with co-morbidities.
This has come at a time when the Omicron version of the virus is already knocking on the doors with 19 States reporting the presence of this variant. While Delhi tops the list, several states of the country have imposed night curfews already. The number of cases has increased from 422 on Sunday to 578 on Monday, the entire country going on a high alert.
There could not have been a better gift than the new vaccination drive announcement. People are scared and apprehensive about the future. They have yet not come out of the nightmare caused by the macabre dance of death and destruction during 2021 due to the severe impact of the Delta version of Covid-19. There was hardly any family that did not witness death from the disease.
Young and old, men and women, healthy or diseased- all succumbed to the deadly virus. There was a time when there were no hospital beds to treat the needy and even the cremation ground was full of corpses. People did not have enough oxygen cylinders and those who managed could not get those filled. There was a shortage of medicines and the worst side of man’s vice was seen when the much-needed medicine or Oxygen was being sold in the black market at a whopping price.
When chips are down, money cannot buy life. Even the wealthiest have seen their close ones dying. The confidence in the system took a nosedive. Nobody would like to have a repeat of that. Most State Governments are better prepared now since they have increased capacities and are much better equipped mentally and technology-wise than ever before. Still people do not have trust that if their near and dear ones fall ill, they would get immediate attention.
This explains why healthcare workers are being given booster doses first. They must be safe to handle the contagious disease if we fail to prevent a third wave. It is in this context that the vaccination for children and also booster doses for the elderly with comorbidities have come as an elixir. Once children in the age group of 15-18 years are administered the doses, it is likely to be extended for children below 15 years. These children are the most mobile and on the verge of their career planning and it makes sense to bring them on top of the priority.
Those who have taken two doses are considered in the safe zone even if they get infected by the most infectious Omicron version of the virus. It is expected that they would have mild symptoms and would survive. Doctors across the world are working to find out how the new variant behaves but the way mutation is taking place, this may take time for a full-proof analysis and conclusions.
Anthony Fauci, a top health advisor to the US administration, has termed Omicron as “extraordinarily contagious” and pointed out the problem of testing for those who are getting caught in the highly infectious disease. On average, more than 1.75 lakh people are getting affected by the disease daily. Imagine the situation if the same intensity is seen in India as well. Testing in time and administering the right medicine is the key.
But Fauci also doled out hope citing the example of the United Kingdom and South Africa. This variant being mild is less likely to lead to hospitalization, and the duration of hospital need and oxygen needs for patients are likely to be on a lower scale. Nevertheless, the UK is getting closer to witnessing one million cases in a short time. The cases are doubling every two to three days.
Rather than hoping that the virus would wane out in India, exactly the way we thought about Delta and suffered heavy losses, it is time to focus on the advisories issued by the Government based on expert opinion. The malls are crowded, the markets are crowded and the festive mood has overtaken the need for precaution. And the tally of Covid-19 cases is increasing with a good number coming from the Omicron variant.
It is not without reason that the Prime Minister sounded words of caution in his Mann Ki Baat on 26 December 2021. He stressed on self-awareness and self-discipline as the tools to defeat the new variant. While the country has fought Covid-19 valiantly, the battle is not won fully because of the new traits of the virus.
Close to 142 crore doses have been administered in India and the country is safe from that viewpoint but still, some people have not taken vaccines. Unless people overcome their vaccine hesitancy and get inoculated the country would not be safe.
Also, those who have taken vaccines should not act as if they’re invincible. Experts have already sounded out that Covid protocol such as wearing a surgical mask, using sanitisers, and maintaining social distance is a must to counter the disease effectively. Are we washing our hands after we come home from outside? The basic hygiene that the virus taught us must not be forgotten.
With the advent of the new year, the country is itching to get into a celebratory mood. A lot many people did not mind celebrating Christmas publicly. This is the time of festivities and elections. Can politicians and people rein in their enthusiasm and excitement and maintain the Covid protocol? Celebrations can wait for a few more months.
People must understand that it is with great difficulties that the country is trying to come back to normal. Economic activities are picking up but some sectors are still reeling from the adverse impact. Our children are still waiting to go to school without fear. Schools are theoretically open but most children are staying at home since their parents can’t risk them contracting the virus. Their vaccination would bring some confidence.
There is hope from the year 2022, since 2021 brought untold human suffering. Life must come back to normal. The economy must pick up fast and offer employment to our youths. The various schemes of the Government got slowed down due to the pandemic since creating massive infrastructure needs labour force in the field. Uncertainty must go away to shore up demands.
The Government is doing whatever it can to tide over the crisis. As citizens, we must look inward and ask ourselves: “Are we being responsible?” We try to become wiser after tragedy and then after some time, we throw caution to the wind. Omicron can come in various ways. Have we sanitised things that are entering our house or people who are coming into our homes? We may be safe but what about those who are close to us and have weak immunities? Remember that Omicron is a variant that is more contagious than the one we have fought.
The writer is the author of ‘Narendra Modi: the GameChanger’. A former journalist, he is a member of BJP’s media relations department and represents the party as spokesperson while participating in television debates. The views expressed are personal.
People must understand that it is with great difficulties that the country is trying to come back to normal. Economic activities are picking up but some sectors are still reeling from the adverse impact. Our children are still waiting to go to school without fear. Schools are theoretically open but most children are staying at home since their parents can’t risk them contracting the virus. Their vaccination would bring some confidence. There is hope from the year 2022, since 2021 brought untold human suffering. Life must come back to normal. The economy must pick up fast and offer employment to our youths. The various schemes of the Government got slowed down due to the pandemic since creating massive infrastructure needs labour force in the field. Uncertainty must go away to shore up demands. The Government is doing whatever it can to tide over the crisis.