The biggest health emergency in recent times was the Covid-19 pandemic. Researchers and health professionals made every effort to allay the fears that the world would come to a standstill. People were searching for any means to prevent contracting the illness that was thought to be incurable. When the welfare states tried to prepare the necessary treatment and instill confidence, the rulers of our country were in a hurry to lock them down and make people bang on pots and pans. The sin of falsifying death tolls, without even providing enough oxygen cylinders for those struggling to live, will not be forgotten. Even when vaccines were being developed like a ray of light in the darkness, fraudsters like Baba Ramdev, sitting on the shoulders of the upper echelons of the central government, flourished by selling fake drugs. The Covishield vaccine, which was advertised as reliable and safe, was the main vaccine that was promoted by the government. The central government took full credit for the vaccination certificate with the Prime Minister's picture even on the certificate. However, when in a case regarding the efficacy of the vaccine, its producer AstraZeneca, acknowledged in court that although in rare cases, the vaccine could have serious side effects, Modi and his allies distanced themselves from the issue by removing the PM's photo from the certificate. And now, the company itself has announced that it is withdrawing the vaccine. It has stated that its production and distribution would be completely stopped. It is said that out of 10 crore doses of vaccine was administered, 55 people were found to have the side effects. The court intervention in the matter and the new findings in the research of the Covid vaccine may have prompted the company to make such a decision.
The Covishield vaccine, originally developed by the University of Oxford, is manufactured by AstraZeneca, a global company. In India, the same vaccine was manufactured by the Serum Institute in Pune. Reports state that they have sold more than 170 crore doses of the vaccine in the country so far. Later, the Serum Institute also sought permission to use the Covishield vaccine as a booster dose for Omicron, a variant of Covid. It should also be remembered that Serum Institute is also a company that donated Rs. 50 crores to BJP through electoral bonds. As the truth about Covishield surfaces, what happens regarding other vaccines remains to be seen. Allegations were raised at that time itself that the vaccine campaign was implemented in the country without adequate clinical trials or related procedures. People were made to take the vaccine by spreading fear and using pressures including travel restrictions. Various companies have earned billions through vaccine sales. Many of these companies were also involved in the electoral bond controversy. When both of these are considered, an unholy nexus between the international pharmaceutical industry and the government gets unravelled. In fact, even before Covishield was used globally, the company and a research group at the University of Oxford had warned about its side effects. AstraZeneca admitted in court that the 'serious side effects' are clearly mentioned on the vaccine packets themselves. It is noteworthy that exact studies were conducted in England after the vaccines were given. That is how people with side effects were discovered.
Currently, more than 90 per cent of people in India have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Here, the Serum Institute and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have warned about the side effects of Covishield and the efficacy of the vaccine. However, no specific studies have been conducted after the vaccination drive. Therefore, the government does not currently have an estimate of the number of incidents caused by the Covid vaccine in India. It has been alleged for some time that the Covid vaccine played a role in the sudden deaths of people between the ages of 15 and 40. Although there is no confirmation in this regard, in the current circumstances this cannot be seen as an absolute anti-vaccine mind-set. However, the inadequacy of such studies has led to widespread concern among people. Therefore, solving the matter by removing the photo from the certificate does not make any difference. There are two main things that the government urgently has to do: First, conduct a detailed study related to Covid vaccination and clarify the side effects. Second, enable the country's scientific community to actively participate in various researches going on globally to combat the novel coronavirus, which the scientific community is yet to fully grasp. Unfortunately, both of these things are of little interest to our administration. The reason is that, as understood in the context of the electoral bond controversy, the government is not prepared to interfere with a company like AstraZeneca. As for the government, which has transferred all research in the medical field to bogus doctors like Baba Ramdev, it is very unlikely to have a genuine interest in systematic research.