How India became a leader in Covid-19 vaccine strategy

The last two years have also demonstrated room for world-beating achievements when the executive push, public-private partnership and Indian ingenuity come together

When Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi spoke at the inauguration of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Indore on January 9, he recounted several of India’s recent achievements. However, at the top of the list was the Make in India Covid-19 vaccine and the complex vaccination programme that ensured 2.2 billion doses to Indians.

India’s Covid-19 vaccine story is one to celebrate and create templates and launchpads for tomorrow. (Mohammad Amin War/ANI)

India’s vaccination journey started on January 16, 2021. As we mark the programme’s second anniversary, PM Modi has a good reason to look back with pride and satisfaction. Right from the time the pandemic struck, the PM was instrumental in shaping the government’s vaccination response. The political leadership and support given by PM Modi to the vaccine helped India manage the damage caused by the virus better than many other countries. The confidence in the science-based pushback has paid off well, with India’s Covid-19 spread and impact staying relatively mild over the past year.

Five examples demonstrate how PM Modi’s leadership catalysed the programme.

First, the timing of conceiving the vaccination programme. PM Modi encouraged scientific advisers and key medical professionals to look at an Indian vaccine development effort as early as March 2020, the first month of the pandemic in India. The intent was to ensure vaccine access, availability and affordability.

Among the countries that produced a regulator-approved vaccine, India was the first to launch a public-private partnership effort. The Indian Council of Medical Research and Bharat Biotech vaccine development agreement was approved on May 5, 2020. The United States’ Operation Warp Speed and the United Kingdom’s programme were announced much later. The European Union funded its existing Horizon 2020 programme in May 2020.

Second, a key decision made in 2016 by the Modi government proved instrumental in the programme’s success. The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network was set up to keep track of India’s immunisation programme and expand it. This digital intervention proved to be a success, with India’s maternal and infant mortality rates declining for the last five years. Moreover, the digitalisation of vaccine administration stood India in good stead when vaccine passports became the calling card in the post-Covid-19 era.

Third, PM Modi made it clear that a comprehensive digital platform was essential for the Covid-19 scale-up. An early discussion on how to leverage technology happened in May 2020, when it was unclear what the complexities of vaccine administration would be. This belief that traceability was central to Covid-19 vaccination led to the use of the CoWIN platform, which proved critical to avoiding situations that other countries had to deal with.

It sounds almost surreal in hindsight to read about the experience of developed countries. From November 2021 to January 2022, two nurses in Long Island, New York, allegedly entered false vaccination information in the state’s database, a scam that allegedly raked in more than $1.5 million. A top Italian tennis player, Camila Giorgi, is at the centre of a Covid-19 vaccine controversy, in which her family doctor alleged the athlete inquired about receiving a false certificate of proof that she received the jab. The Indian vaccination programme did not encounter any such major episodes, thanks to CoWIN.

Fourth, PM Modi encouraged Indian scientists and research professionals to get involved in vaccine research and development. In November 2020, he undertook a same-day, three-city tour covering the facilities of Zydus Cadila in Ahmedabad, Serum Institute in Pune and Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad. This personal touch, coming at a time when vaccine development was in its final stages, showed that the PM was not just backing the scientific effort, but also believed in the indigenous ability to counter a global problem.

Fifth, a key personal touch built on the PM’s popularity was his gesture of publicly endorsing the vaccine shots. He registered on the CoWIN platform like everyone else and then took his shot on March 1, 2021. He then shared this information, sparking the trend of people talking about taking their vaccine shots in their social circles.

This virtuous chain of communication, later carried forward by public figures and common citizens, was an effective and low-cost confidence-building measure. As a result, India faced lower levels of vaccine hesitancy, despite weaker socioeconomic indicators, than many developed countries. The PM played the role of India’s communicator-in-chief with solid results.

The idea of Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) stands for non-linear ambition and self-belief, which the Indian vaccination programme demonstrated despite the odds. The personal leadership of PM Modi put the spotlight on an India which knows its strengths, an India that will work on honing these strengths and an India that will use these strengths unapologetically when required. The last two years have also demonstrated room for world-beating achievements when the executive push, public-private partnership and Indian ingenuity come together. These two years have not just been an attempt to combat Covid-19 but have provided a cross-domain playbook to scale India’s achievements. India’s Covid-19 vaccine story is one to celebrate and create templates and launchpads for tomorrow.

Aashish Chandorkar is counsellor, Permanent Mission of India to the World Trade Organization, Geneva. Suraj Sudhir is a technology professional based in the United States. They are the authors of the upcoming book, Braving A Viral Storm: India’s Covid-19 Vaccine Story

The views expressed are personal