It is indeed a rollicking shame that political parties in India, continue to dabble in politics, as people die, due to COVID-19. The president of the ruling BJP party in Gujarat state was distributing the Remdesivir injections free to the people. The Chief Minister, also from the BJP party, could not explain the incident.  

Now, Remdesivir is an injection to treat COVID-19 patients. India is desperately short of the drug. Patients and their relations are hunting for the drug. Remdesivir is not a vitamin, which can be had by anybody. So, why is it being distributed free to the general public at large, like lozenges?

The Maharashtra government has also alleged that the local BJP unit is trying to corner the Remdesivir medicine, as the government struggles to source it, for patients. It is horrendous, that political parties are using the pandemic and the medicines, as political tools, instead of cooperating.

The only definite protection against COVID-19 is the vaccine. India is thrilled that it has vaccinated 120 million people in 92 days. This is a weak performance. Only 1.1 per cent of Indian population has received both jabs. Only 8.8 per cent of the population has received a single jab. There is a long way to go. Israel has vaccinated 55 per cent of its population with both jabs. The US and Chile are around 25 percent full vaccination. Absolute numbers are not relevant, the percentage of population vaccinated is the relevant figure.

India can boost vaccine production by investing and refurbishing other vaccine producing units in the country like the Central Research Institute, Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, BCG vaccine Laboratory, Guindy, Tamil Nadu, Pasteur Institute Conoor, Integrated vaccine Complex in Tamil Nadu, etc. They should all be revitalised. Every dose of vaccine can save a life.

Rajendra Aneja
Mumbai, India