Even if Delhi’s remarkable success in fighting Covid-19 rekindled some hope of development of herd immunity, the Union Health Ministry last week officially rejected it by asserting that such a phenomenon can only come at an enormously high and unacceptable human cost which India with a mammoth population of 138+crore can never afford. Talks on herd immunity have lessened since then and focus once again has culminated on the vaccine which is being believed to be the ‘silver bullet’ for Covid-19. 

Like all across the globe, in India too people are consuming the news on vaccine development more than anything else and it’s barely surprising that there are increasing footfalls hovering over millions daily on the Google search engine with hope of any latest breakthrough. While, much of the attention has been sucked off by the Oxford endeavour due to their cherished past in vaccinology and more for their current strides in finding out the Covid antidote, it will also be equally assuring for the crestfallen world and India of today that besides this one, as many as 164 more are also in the race, including a purely Indian. Never in the medical history of human race such a thing happened- simultaneous and rigorous efforts for inventing a cure for one single virus. For a common citizen it will seem puzzling as to why so many at the same time and why inter-nation collaborations are virtually a handful. There will be hardly any convincing answer to it since there are lots of underlying permutations and combinations including the inseparable commercial interests. But, there’s also a finer aspect in this ongoing competition- if one fails due to reasons whatsoever, there will always be a second, third or even more alternatives. This is what makes the current vaccine making goal not only interesting, but also unprecedented and unique.

As per latest WHO figures, out of at least 165 contenders, 23 of have entered clinical trial phases and six are in final stages which means phase-III involving humans. While the greater part of  national media is busy tracking Covaxin, the indigenous one, it’s also no less encouraging that silently, at least seven others are in the fray and two have commenced early phases of human trials. Another possible reason for these ‘many’ ventures is the arm-twisting methodology that can possibly be adopted by powerful nations which can lead to artificial shortage and skyrocketing of prices of the vaccine, virtually keeping it out of reach for developing and poorer countries.

It will be unfortunate if a global disunity develops over the vaccine’s access and if pharma MNCs have the last say. Oligopoly will be unacceptable, monopoly will be worse. To avoid it, it’s high time a global consensus arrives. Meanwhile,  it’s hard to deny that in the Covid vaccine quest, ‘many’ is certainly a blessing.   

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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