Now the citizens of India are aware of the double the standard ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP has always been talking about United India but now they are dividing India for their political benefit and declaring that all the citizens of Bihar will get the COVID-19 vaccine free of cost and Bihar will be given preference as the first state to get vaccines, because elections were a priority there.
Later on, when the second wave of COVID sprung, they declared a free distribution of Remdesivir to attract the support of people of those states where elections are going on. As they lost power in Maharashtra on a humiliating note, they are depriving the state of adequate infrastructure to battle COVID-19.
The central government has asked states to allow COVID vaccines to be administered at offices with about 100 workers who are 45 years of age or older and are willing to take the shot. The vaccination was supposed to begin on 11 April at both government and private offices, the central government but due to PM Modi’s election campaign in West Bengal, other states are just ignored with the supply of vaccines.
There are 29 states in India and our constitution provides equality and it is the fundamental right of every citizen of India. Then how the government is declaring who will be given the first preference for the vaccine.
Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and other BJP ruled states are stoking the vaccines in their party offices, whereas other non-BJP ruled states are suffering due to lack of supply.
On the other hand, in the middle of the vaccine shortage row, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope has urged the Centre to formulate criteria for allotment of COVID-19 vaccines by taking into consideration factors like population and number of active coronavirus cases of a particular state. He alleged that many states, which are smaller than Maharashtra in terms of population and the number of patients, have received more doses.
Even though it’s still possible to control the spread of COVID-19 through very rigorous testing, contact tracing, and quarantining of infected patients, these are still not very effective if we are to significantly reduce the threat of the disease yet.
We also need to not only break the chain of transmission but also make sure that people get long-term protection once they are infected. This is also one of the greatest challenges that scientists have to grapple with right now. There is still no harmony on how long the body’s protective immunity lasts.
The BJP or union government can’t decide whether the COVID-19 vaccine will be given without cost or there will be some cost, it will be decided by the state government. BJP is simply saying that if voted to power, whenever the vaccine will come they will distribute it without cost.
Our economy and international trade depend on a healthy population worldwide. While the world is suffering from this plague our economies have become vulnerable to all sorts of disruptions, shortages, failed policies and promises by ignorant leaders, religious leaders wasting our time by praying for miracles and pointless disregard for science and facts, and conspiracy theories have drowned good sense with lies, innuendos.
So we must get back on track by making our citizens immune to this disease. The only way to do that is by mandating vaccination of the entire population (with obvious medical exemption when necessary). We can never achieve the so-called herd immunity for several reasons that are tangent issues.
The government and the Centre have been blaming each other over the crisis of vaccination in the state. Maharashtra was given a total of 1 crore vaccines by the Central government and after administering millions of doses, the state started suffering a shortage following which it demanded more vaccines.
As of April 9, around 2,72,421 people took jabs out of which 2,38,386 people took their first dose who were above the age of 45 while in the same category 15,819 beneficiaries took their second dose. A COVID-19 vaccine is really important at this time because there will always be a risk of new disease outbreaks.
Maharashtra, with a population of over 12 crores, accounts for 60 per cent of the total number of active cases in the country. The number is more because testing has been increased substantially; the state has mobilized its capacity to administer six lakh doses daily, so they need vaccines in a similar proportion.
Mumbai police questioned a pharma company director over alleged excess stock of the Remdesivir drug and allowed him to leave after he produced necessary documents. The opposition party BJP in Maharashtra objected to the pharma executive’s grilling by Mumbai police, saying the Shiv Sena-led government in the state was playing politics amid the pandemic.
The BJP leader claimed that a Maharashtra minister’s officer on special duty called the pharma executive and asked him how he could provide Remdesivir on the appeal of opposition parties. The pharma executive was picked up from his house by 10 policemen.
The Leader of Opposition said, “The state government was harassing the Daman-based pharma as BJP leaders approached him for the supply of the antiviral medication to the state. No one knows the reality but one thing is sure that the Remdesivir has become a purely political tool and no one is bothered about the common public and their lives.”
