Preparing HCWs for long battle against Covid-19
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: December 27, 2021 -

AS expected, a slew of opposition parliamentarians, state legislators and a chief minister tweeted and issued statements claiming credit for the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday that Covid vaccination for the 15-18 age group will commence from January 3, 2022, while healthcare/frontline workers, along with the 60-plus population with comorbidities, will get a precautionary dose from January 10 onwards next year.

Regardless of the PM not using the term booster shots and preferring to call the third jab as precaution doses, it obvious that the decision of administering the additional dose is fallout of the alarming pace of spread of Omicron variant of the contagious disease.

With the masses relishing the festive season and the general population paying little heed to the experts' precaution that threat from the virus is far from being over, there had been suggestions for nationwide launch of re-vaccination along with expressing concern over poor rate of inoculation in some states, including Manipur.

That the virus could return with a vengeance if there is no collective will to tackle the pandemic could be comprehended from the virulent second wave hitting the country hard a few months after the self-congratulatory mood in India around January 2021 subsequent to the steady fall in infection and death counts from September 2020 onwards.

The improvement in the pandemic situation even led to politicians and public health experts gushing about India reaching a stage of herd immunity while other regions of the world were battling the second or third waves.

International experts, too, opined that the virus appeared to be blocked by a 'human wall' of people who had gained the protective armour of immunity even before the vaccines started rolling out.

Spurred on by all such positive vibes coupled with the fatigue of pandemic restrictions and the urge to return to normal life; politicians, public figures, traders, travellers, sportspersons, shoppers, religious groups and revellers believed that all of India was liberated.

However, onset of the second wave induced by the Delta variant showed how viciously the virus could strike back.

Thus, as stated by PM Modi that the decision to vaccinate children is aimed at strengthening the fight against Covid-19 and lessen the worries of the parents whose children are going to schools it could be safely predicted that not only vaccination of the vulnerable groups but strict adherence to some simple protective protocols is a must to prevent possible third wave of Covid-19 triggered by the Omicron variant.

As such, announcement for providing 'precautionary' jabs to the healthcare and frontline workers will hopefully prove effective in preventing possible unprecedented fatalities in case of onset of another wave of the pandemic for they are the ones who would yet again lead the battle against the contagion.

Unlike children in the 15-18 age group or the 60-plus elderly citizens and people with comorbidities, who are eligible for the new and precautionary doses respectively, but could remain indoors and cease activities for some more time; healthcare and frontline workers can't afford to remain idle in case another bout of health crisis grips the nation.