India's front-line workers optimistic about vaccine drive

India started its mass COVID-19 vaccination campaign on January 16 and  aims to inoculate at least 300 million people out of its 1.3 billion population by July. The authorities decided to vaccinate front-line workers in the first phase of the drive.

Currently, 75 medical centers in New Delhi are being used to vaccinate people.

Many front-line workers, who have been working without a break since April last year, have welcomed the vaccination process.

"I am relieved to have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Prior to getting vaccinated, I was constantly worried about risking the health of my family," a sanitation worker who recently received the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine told DW.

The worker, who wished to remain anonymous, admitted that many people are apprehensive about the vaccine.

"They are afraid to take the shot. I think if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other politicians get vaccinated, it would encourage people to get vaccinated," he added.

Prime Minister Modi, 70, will be getting a shot during the second round of the vaccination drive, which will inoculate citizens above 50 years of age.

Apprehension and glitches

India has vaccinated more than 1.6 million people since the start of the campaign. According to authorities, the country took six days to vaccinate 1 million people, whereas the UK and the US took 18 and 10 days respectively to inoculate the same number.

The government, however, admitted that it encountered some technical problems, such as glitches in the Co WIN vaccine registration app, during the campaign.

After the start of the vaccination campaign, some vaccination centers in Delhi reported a drop in inoculations. By January 18, only 4,936 health workers in Delhi — around 49% of the expected target — had received their first dose of the vaccine. Local media reported that walk-in recipients have been filling out the spots for those who were registered for vaccination but did not show up.

"There is definitely some apprehension among the public. The Covaxin consent form is also making people anxious," one of the vaccine administrators at a private health facility in Delhi told DW on condition of anonymity.

Covaxin, which is produced locally by Bharat Biotech, is one of India's two approved COVID-19 vaccines. There are doubts about its efficacy and safety as it got approved by India's drug regulatory authority while it was in a clinical trial stage.

Analysts also attribute the initial slowdown to social media misinformation about vaccines. Hoaxes, fake videos, and rumors about coronavirus vaccines are being passed around on digital platforms, which is increasing vaccine skepticism in the country.

Faith in science

A Delhi-based doctor says he hopes people will eventually feel encouraged by the fact that health workers are happy to receive the COVID-19 jab.

"I am excited about the vaccination. As we are most exposed to the virus, it makes me feel safe. I hope people will feel encouraged by our example and come forward and get vaccinated," he told DW.

"While some people are apprehensive about the local vaccine, I am convinced it is absolutely safe because there is scientific evidence behind it. With the number of coronavirus cases going down, this is the right time to inoculate as many people as possible in the country," he added.

India has the second-highest coronavirus caseload in the world, after the US, with over 10.6 million infections recorded since the beginning of the pandemic. New daily cases, however, have dropped from a peak of over 90,000 in September, and COVID-19 deaths are lower than in other badly affected countries.