PM, CMs and Other Political Leaders above 50 to Take Vaccine in Second Phase

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Jan 21: With the mass immunization drive failing to pick up the enthusiasm it was expected to considering the gloom the people faced in the Corona pandemic, the prime minister Narendra Modi and other top political leaders are in the line to come forward to take the home-made vaccines to end the “vaccine hesitancy.”

Official sources said on Thursday that Modi and other top political leaders including some chief ministers, Members of Parliament and other officials above the age of 50 would be in the queue to receive the shots in the second phase when the vaccination of the elderly people begin after the end of the first phase covering the frontline workers including the medical professionals, law and order enforcement authorities and the safai karmacharis.

The move was believed to have been caused by the setback the vaccination drive has received in the first week of the immunization drive with nearly 50 per cent of the frontline staff refusing to turn up to the take the shots despite being forced to work under trying conditions to serve the Covid patients or being exposed to the threat of infection.

With the vaccination programme going on at 3,006 sessions site across the country and each site administering vaccines to at least 100 persons a day, the first week of the immunization drive should have covered more than 15 lakh persons but as per the official data since January 16 when the mass immunization drive was launched by Modi, 7,86,000 beneficiaries have been covered so far, nearly half of the target. Several reasons are being attributed to the slower off-take including software glitches, adverse events, and uncertainty over the efficacy of the vaccine but the biggest reason even the medical experts have confirmed was the “vaccine hesitancy” with even frontline workers and medical professionals unwilling to come forward to take the shots. The reluctance to take the vaccines could increase even more in the second phase when the people above the age of 50 and people with co-morbidities are to be covered in the mass immunization drive.

Suggestions have been made from several quarters that top political leaders, celebrities and such other rich and famous people should come forward to take the vaccines to generate confidence among the masses that the government’s claims of the two made-in-India vaccines were “safe and effective.” The opposition Congress even went to the extent of accusing the prime minister and other BJP leaders of being skeptical of the efficacy of the vaccines for which they were not coming forward to lead the rest in taking the vaccines and dispel hesitancy among the people.

The official sources, however, disagree that “vaccine hesitancy” played in any role in driving Modi and other political leaders becoming recipients in the second phase and point out the address the prime minister had delivered while launching the immunization drive last week.

The government sources point out that Modi in his video conference with chief ministers before the launch of the drive had made it clear that the political leaders should not try to jump the queue to take the vaccines in the first phase which would send a wrong signal to the people.

“In the same vein he had said that politicians would get their turn in the second phase when senior citizens were to be vaccinated,” said a government official. “There is nothing new in the plan that was originally thought up,” added the source.

”The remarks don’t come up with any specific date when the prime minister or chief ministers of various states will be vaccinated,” added the government source.

Apparently Modi and the government was expecting a much bigger enthusiastic response to the vaccination drive when at the time of launching the prime minister said the country had been “waiting impatiently” for this day, adding that it was the first time in history that a vaccination exercise had been launched on such a massive scale.

During his address, Modi had also allayed fears regarding efficacy of the vaccines and said, “Scientists gave nod to two made-in-India vaccines after being sure of their effects, don’t pay heed to rumours, propaganda. Indian vaccines enjoy global credibility because of their track record,” he said.

Taken aback by the reluctance of the frontline workers who were expected to be on the forefront in the inoculation drive, the government had made repeated appeals to the recipients listed in the first phase not to let go their turn for the jab.  “The vaccination drive will be further accelerated… Whatever doses of vaccine are made available, we will ensure that they reach maximum beneficiaries. This will be done soon,” said Dr V K Paul, who heads the high-level national expert group on vaccination administration.

“In India, the vaccine is being prioritised for health care and frontline workers. However, despite that, if some of them are hesitant to take it, particularly the doctors and nurses, then it is disappointing. We don’t know what turn the pandemic will take; we have to start our non-Covid services… In a few days, India has planned to vaccinate all its health care workers…it is not right to have any confusion…the vaccine hesitancy among the health care workers should end,” he said.

In phase one, which is underway, three crore frontline workers in India are planned to be covered in three months but the first week’s hesitant response cast doubt that it might take much longer time than planned unless the pace picked up in the coming days.