India Set to Launch World's Largest COVID-19 Vaccination Drive, Modi Says

On Monday morning, India's health ministry reported 16,504 new coronavirus infections and 214 deaths over the previous day, pushing the national tally to 1,03,40,469 cases. The same morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood at the inaugural session of the National Metrology Conclave and told the audience that the country was on the threshold of starting the largest vaccination programme in the world.

Modi credited the scientists and technicians behind the effort. Indian researchers, he said, had succeeded in producing two vaccines made in India, and the entire country was indebted to them. He also used the occasion to argue that research matters for a progressive society.

The announcement followed a decision made the day before. On Sunday, Drugs Controller General of India VG Somani approved two vaccines for restricted emergency use: Covishield, the shot developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and made by the Serum Institute of India, and Covaxin, developed locally by Bharat Biotech International Limited. The approvals cleared the way for the government's vaccination drive to begin in about ten days.

The approvals were not met with universal applause. Both drew criticism, the Serum Institute's emergency-use clearance as well as the "restricted use in emergency situation" consent given to Bharat Biotech's homegrown vaccine. The reporting does not detail the substance of those objections.

The other numbers on the ministry's Monday update were steadier. Active cases stood at 2,43,953, about 2.36 percent of all cases, and stayed below the 250,000 mark for a second consecutive day. A total of 99,46,867 people have recovered, including 19,557 patients cured or discharged in the last 24 hours, putting the national recovery rate at 96.19 percent. The case fatality rate is 1.45 percent. Daily recoveries have exceeded daily new cases for the past 38 days. For comparison, 16,432 cases were recorded on December 29.

The path to this point was long. India's tally crossed 20 lakh on 7 August, 30 lakh on 23 August, 40 lakh on 5 September and 50 lakh on 16 September. It passed 60 lakh on 28 September, 70 lakh on 11 October, 80 lakh on 29 October and 90 lakh on 20 November, before topping one crore on 19 December. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 17,56,35,761 samples had been tested up to 3 January, including 7,35,978 on Sunday alone.

Life was also edging back toward normal in Bihar, where schools, colleges, universities and coaching institutes reopened on Monday after more than nine months of closure. Education Department Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar told PTI that classes will run at only half the total student strength, and that coronavirus protocols must be followed strictly.

What to watch now is whether the rollout actually begins on the expected timeline of about ten days, and how the criticism of the emergency-use approvals develops in the meantime.