JNS: COVID-19 vaccination programme in India saved 34 lakh lives and resulted in a net economic gain of $15.4 billion by preventing losses, revealed a working paper by Stanford University and the Institute for Competitiveness.
The report, which was released on Saturday by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya during his virtual address at the university’s ‘The India Dialog,’ emphasised three aspects of India’s strategy during the coronavirus pandemic: containment, relief package, and vaccine administration.
“India had carried out the largest vaccination campaign in history, giving out over 2.2 billion doses to individuals over the age of 12, with 97% coverage of the first dosage and 90% coverage of the second,” claimed Mandaviya.
All of the citizens were provided with free vaccinations because the campaign placed a strong priority on ensuring that everyone had equal access to coverage. He asserted that in order to guarantee delivery to the very last mile, various campaigns and digital tools, such as “Har Ghar Dastak,” mobile vaccination teams, and the Co-Win vaccine administration platform, were utilised.
He added, “Success relied on calming fears and controlling misinformation.”
According to the findings of the Stanford report, the biggest vaccination programme in the world was successful in avoiding a total loss of $18.3 billion, with the net benefit amounting to $15.4 billion after the cost of the vaccination drive was deducted.
The report also stated that developing and manufacturing vaccines in the country enabled the government to inoculate many people and reduce healthcare system burdens.
The report estimated that between 100,000 and 2,000,000 lives could have been lost if the lockdown had not been implemented at the appropriate moment. It claims the lockdown was successful in delaying the country’s highest infection rate until September 2020, giving much-needed breathing room to upgrade health care facilities.
