Farheen takes a hard look at the vaccination scenario and finds that luxury vaccination packages are being advertised for the rich and the famous, in luxury hotels, while commoners face an acute shortage. An exclusive for Different Truths.
The rollout of the vaccine had just begun and the news of the vaccine going out of stock broke out. With people reaching out to hospitals and other vaccination centers increased because most people had not been jabbed even with their first dose. The facade did not match reality.
Amidst this chaos, the rich and the famous Indians were neither worried about the dismal news nor perturbed by the shortage of vaccines. Luxury packages for vaccination are being advertised by swanky hotels blatantly.
Luxury packages for vaccination are being advertised by swanky hotels blatantly.
Using the vaccine rollout, mad rush and scarcity as the backdrop, the hotel industry has decided to make the moolah. Swanky vaccines packages are available in some of the high-end hotels in the metros. These have been priced between Rs 3000/- and Rs 5000/-. These hotels have partnered with some hospitals to set up Covid care centers.
These packages are offered by luxury star hotels — the advertisements of hotels inviting patients to book their hotels for getting themselves pampered in serene surroundings with the assurance of complete isolation.
Some people are asking if the free vaccines meant for the common people are being sold in black to select hotels.
There was news about vaccines being found in a normal fridge in a Mumbai hotel too. Some people are asking if the free vaccines meant for the common people are being sold in black to select hotels. “These advertisements prove the collusion of hospitals and hotels,” rued Meera, a 25-year-old social activist.
Raj Sekhar, a Delhi-based hotelier, reasoned that the hospitality industry had seen the worst side of pandemic — beginning with the fear of Coronavirus, surge in Coronavirus cases and lockdown, people did not step outside. This industry is continuing to suffer the virus wrath even now. He saw the vaccination package as a smart marketing move by the luxury. hotels
In a recent development, the Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, had tweeted that the hotels offering Covid-19 vaccination packages shall face strict legal action.
There has been a letter issued that clearly states the four places to get vaccinated are the government centers, private hospitals, government, and private offices and close by centers for elderly and differently abled citizens.
When vaccination became the need of the hour, the perplexities surrounding vaccines being made available for two age groups — 18 to 44 years and 45 and above, rolling out the vaccines for Indians, vaccine availability only through government hospitals, and much more superseded to another level in India.
In a release, the health ministry said that three crore health and frontline workers were inoculated in the first phase.
In a release, the health ministry said that three crore health and frontline workers were inoculated in the first phase. The Covid-19 vaccine was launched on January 16, 2021. The first group comprised healthcare and frontline workers.
The second phase of vaccination started on March 1, 2021, for senior citizens above 60 years of age, and people above 45 years of age with comorbidities.
In the third phase of the nationwide inoculation drive, which started from May 1, as of May 24th, 2021, a whopping one crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered for the 18-44 age group.
…CoWIN links every vaccine dose to its recipient. The irony is that the reality is far from the government’s vision and claim.
Keeping Digital India, the flagship programme, the government had aimed at managing the entire process digitally with its own app, CoWIN links every vaccine dose to its recipient. The irony is that the reality is far from the government’s vision and claim. Digital India plans to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. However, the experience is not as simple as it appears.
India still reels from deadly Coronavirus pandemic, with more than 200,000 reported cases and 4,000 deaths recorded each day. In this calamity, the worst one can think of is the vaccine crunch. Without calculating how many Indians would be at risk, the government of India decided to export the vaccine and the outcome is that External Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is tasked to create ripples by meeting top U.S. officials and vaccine manufacturers to seal deals on vaccine supply to India.
The grim reality unfolds — a county that manufactures vaccines for the world is grappling with a dearth of vaccines.
The grim reality unfolds — a county that manufactures vaccines for the world is grappling with a dearth of vaccines. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had prematurely announced, in August 2020, that the vaccine distribution plan was in place.
The aftermath of the announcement was contrary to the reality — the virus was seen extending its tentacles far wide — what the Indians experienced was an exponential rise in the number of Indians succumbing to this virus.
The disheveled system started showing the reality not only to the Indians but to the entire world.
Figure 4: India’s daily Covid cases.
The vaccine doses reserved for Indians after exporting it globally were insufficient.
The world’s largest economy did not draft a successful policy around vaccination. More so, the lack of communication with the vaccine manufacturers in India and abroad resulted in vaccination drives in India going haywire.
Amid news urging people to get vaccinated, a new setup is also rampant in big cities.
The third wave of Covid-19 is highly likely to hit India, but measures are being taken to minimise its impact.
The third wave of Covid-19 is highly likely to hit India, but the measures are being taken to minimise its impact. The bigger question is whether all citizens will be vaccinated considering vaccine shortage, rural India’s inability to use the CoWin app; the technical issues and error being reported daily about the CoWIN app is causing inconvenience to millions already, and the vaccine is made available to the elite via 5-star hotels, swanky private hospitals, and corporates.
We need to wait and watch for not one, but many issues unravelling in the coming months.
Visuals and graph sourced by the author and Different Truths
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