Not the time for political face-off over vaccination

When an amiable person like Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan suddenly explodes like he did on Wednesday, one can’t but sit up and take notice. The way he tore into Opposition-ruled states that are supporting the argument for opening up Covid vaccination to the entire adult population showed his urgency in tamping the demand down. He cited their slow vax rates to berate them though vaccine hesitancy is a global phenomenon. Also, without admitting to the opacity with which Covaxin was given emergency use authorisation even before phase 3 trial results were out, Vardhan lit into the Chhattisgarh government for disallowing the jab till the test outcome was published, accusing it of inciting vaccine hesitancy.

The heavy artillery though was reserved for the Thackeray government in Maharashtra that is roiling under its biggest Covid wave. Vardhan called out its ‘misgovernance’ and hauled it over the coals for trying to shift goalposts by complaining of vaccine shortage to deflect blame of mismanagement and inducing panic. Criticising Maharashtra’s healthcare system, he shared his frustration at the government’s ‘lackadaisical attitude’ that had bogged down India’s fight against Covid.

While the minister was emphatic in his denial of vaccine shortage, reports from states like Odisha where as many as 600 vaccination centres were dysfunctional on Wednesday due to stock depletion told a different story. He did admit that there were supply side challenges, which was why the rollout was staggered. The Centre had earlier donated or sold vaccines across the world, earning humanitarian and diplomatic plaudits, but held back exports since mid-March to meet the domestic demand. As a result, Covishield manufacturer Serum Institute of India is in a legal pickle for not honouring its export obligations. The demand-supply mismatch is not going to ease anytime soon.

Going forward, vaccine manufacturers could perhaps be incentivised to scale up production by relaxing controls on the open market price. Also, this is not the time for petty fights. The virus can be defeated only if the healthcare systems are ramped up, vaccination scaled up and people understand the value of masking up at public places. There are no shortcuts.