Bill Gates lauds Indias achievement on inoculating 100 Cr citizens !

now, india has achieved another milestone: administering more than 1 billion doses of covid-19 vaccines. this vaccine drive is the largest, and one of the fastest, ever. estimates suggest that more than 75% of india’s adult population has received a first dose and over 31% has received a second dose; more than 48% of whom are women. given the country’s size and population, its transmission levels directly impact the time frame within which the world can end the crisis phase of this borderless pandemic. first, the political will has been strong from top to bottom. led by prime minister modi's vision to vaccinate all eligible indian adults against covid-19 by 31 december 2021, state and district leaders have responded with urgency. second, india, which has successfully implemented many mass-immunization campaigns, has leveraged its long-standing experience, knowledge, and infrastructure to fight covid-19. india’s universal immunization programme is one of the world's most extensive public health programs. during the pandemic, this infrastructure has proved crucial. there are nearly 348,000 public centers and over 28,000 private centers currently administering covid-19 vaccines in india, which cover the toughest terrains in the north and the northeast, including flood prone areas. further, india’s over 2.3 million asha and anganwadi women frontline workers were trained along with millions of doctors, nurses, and auxiliary nurse midwives to ensure that covid-19 vaccines are delivered equitably, everywhere in the country.  third, india has harnessed its expertise in vaccine and drug discovery and manufacturing.  before the pandemic, indian vaccines had already saved millions of lives from infectious diseases like meningitis, pneumonia, and diarrhea. our foundation has been proud to work with the government of india and many indian manufacturers, including serum institute, bharat biotech, and bioe, to help make these safe and affordable vaccines available across india and to low- and middle-income countries (lmics). fourth,india has used its it prowess to digitally monitor the national vaccination effort. for example, cowin–anopen-source platform created in india—tracks vaccine appointments scheduling,provides verifiable digital vaccine certification and enables analysis of vaccine trends and breakthrough infections. fifth, the most important component of any health program is people’s participation, and the indian people have made covid-19 vaccination a success. drawing on experience from the polio elimination program, the center and state governments focused on mobilizing the population. delivered messages through national and local influencers to address issues of hesitancy, engaged local government and self-help groups to generate demand,used sophisticated digital strategies to address misinformation and  disinformation, and conducted mass media campaigns and vaccine festivals or ‘mahostavs'.the indian people responded. it is an outrage that vaccines are distributed inequitably: less than 3% of people in low-income countries have received a dose. the answer lies in producing many more vaccines, and faster. this will require ramping up global manufacturing capacity for vaccines.india is poised to help with this as it accelerates vaccine exports, to increase access to covid-19 vaccines for lmics through the covax and vaccine maitri initiatives.india makes me hopeful because it shows how countries can, with strong leadership and consistent investments in health systems and r&d, protect the health of their people. bill gates is co-chair bill & melinda gates foundation.