India has crossed the milestone of administering 100 crore vaccine doses in a span of 279 days. The drive was launched on January 16, 2021 in phased manner starting with elderly people, senior citizens and people with comorbidites.
The vaccination drive was opened for age groups 18-45 on May 1, at a time when second wave of the pandemic had wreaked across India. A sluggish vaccination drive only worsened the situation.
The vaccination drive did pick pace after sometime and India managed to hit some milestones, but the challenges haven't ended.
Covaxin's WHO Nod Hurdle
India's indigenous vaccine Covaxin still awaits WHO nod posing a hindrance to those Covaxin-jabbed people who want to travel abroad.
UK's Denial Of India's Vaccination Certificate
Despite Covishield being approved by the WHO, the UK earlier this month refused to accept the vaccination status of Indian travelers even if they were jabbed with Covishield.
The UK government had said the Indian citizens travelling there will be considered “unvaccinated” even if they are fully vaccinated with Covishield,the Indian variant of Britain's AstraZeneca vaccine.
The new rules in the UK required Indian travelers to undergo a mandatory quarantine, irrespective of their vaccination status, and a covid test. This led to some skirmished between the two countries, following which the rules were relaxed. Fully vaccinated Indian travelers need not undergo quarantine in the UK now.
Children At Risk
Indians above the age of 18 are eligible for vaccination. However, no vaccine for kids has been approved so far even though trials are underway. Children as such are more vulnerable in case India is faced with another wave of the pandemic.
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