Vaccine willingness among youth

Every cloud has a silver lining. The Co-WIN portal crashing due to heavy traffic as soon as registration was opened on Wednesday to facilitate vaccination of 18-44 years age group from May 1 reflects that Indian youth are ready to play decisive role in the battle against COVID-19 pandemic. Over 1.32 crore registered on the first day. It showed that there is no vaccine hesitancy among the youth but the challenge for vaccine manufacturers as well as Central and the State government is to make available the vaccines to the youngest age group among all eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. Vaccine hesitancy in the 45 plus age group slowed down the vaccination process in the country and high registration by those in 18-44 bracket is going to give a momentum in the vaccination drive in the country. This will be crucial in breaking the pandemic chain and building up the country's resilience against the third wave after the current devastating second wave is over. The prevailing pandemic situation in the country is gloomy with over 3.5 lakh daily cases, over 3000 daily fatalities and acute shortage of oxygen overwhelming the health systems. Youth accounting for majority of the positive cases and significant number of the fatalities in the current wave is indicative of the COVID-19 virus targeting the younger ones as host to spread. In the first wave people in the age group 60 plus and people with comorbidities in the 45-60 group were affected more. Opening the registration prior to launch of the vaccination for 18-45 age group was necessary to make correct estimate of the vaccine demands and plan the delivery accordingly. Most of the states including Assam have announced decisions to provide vaccines free of cost to this age group which is also a contributing factor behind overwhelming response to appeal by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for registration in the Co-WIN portal. A clear picture on availability of the vaccines will emerge only after vaccine manufacturers are in a position to pump up production and deliver. Many states have indicated that vaccination for the youngest age-group may not start from May 1 as announced by the Central government due to shortage in supplies against the demand. The demand from elder age groups is also rising as vaccine hesitancy among them has been gradually going away in the second wave of pandemic. Most states have prioritized the second doses for all those who have received the first shot as missing the administration of the second dose within the prescribed time periods will be counterproductive to deriving full benefits of vaccination. The delay should not cause much worry among those who have registered but the government both at the Centre and in the states must maintain transparency and give correct information to every single individual in the 18-44 age group as well as everyone above 45 years as to when they will be able to get their first dose. Vaccination appointments for this age group will be possible only after government and private hospitals schedule the vaccination process. It is going to be a challenging task to ensure that every single appointment against slots booked is honoured by the vaccination centre concerned. Besides, the states will have to procure from manufacturers and payment must be made to get the ordered number of vaccines delivered. In Assam, even though the State government has placed orders the payment formalities will be possible only after the installation of the new government after declaration of results on May 2. Till Tuesday, Assam has administered 22.36 lakh doses which include 4.74 lakh second doses. The number of fully vaccinated people belonging to 45 plus group in the state is expected to increase to over 20 lakhs. The state has in its stock over 7 lakh doses which will keep the vaccination running for next nine to ten days. The safety protocols must not be lost in the rush for registration or vaccination. Even after two doses of vaccines the facemasks cannot be dropped while those not vaccinated as yet need to take extra precaution and must wear double masks as advised by health experts to stay protected. Over emphasis on vaccine as the primary strategy and relegating the mask, physical distancing, and frequent handwashing behind cannot secure a victory in the battle against COVID-19. The very size of the India's population makes drawing any parallel with advanced countries with much less population in respect of COVID-19 vaccination unrealistic. Even after achieving the production targets to meet the soaring demands, deliveries the vaccines to the vaccination centres by maintaining the cold chain will still be a major challenge that will require coordination by the Centre and the states to overcome. More clarity in vaccine appointments for all age groups will help sustaining the willingness for vaccination.