In a televised address to the nation on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised the states to consider the lockdown only as a last resort. The nightmarish experience of the time when the country was locked down a year ago may have certainly inspired the prime minister to think otherwise.
The Prime Minister expressed optimism that the unparalleled plight created by the second wave of Covid could be tackled with the full support and cooperation of the people without a lock down.

While the words of the Prime Minister are enough to instill confidence, the realities ahead are not so comforting to the common people. This is due to the high prevalence of the disease and the excessive stress that health centers face. The number of patients in many places is on the rise, which is beyond the reach of the state governments. People are keenly watching with concern, fearing that the situation will get worse in the next three weeks. There is no shortcut for dealing with the epidemic all at once. The only way is to deal with it in the best possible way. The whole country is in a fierce fight for it.

As immunization is vital in controlling the spread of the disease, it has become urgent to expand the vaccination campaign. With the decision to vaccinate everyone above 18 years of age from May 1, people are thronging everywhere for the vaccine. Many states, including Kerala, are facing severe vaccine shortages. The central policy is that half of the vaccine produced can be sold directly to the public market. Half should be given directly to the Centre. The Centre will make it a priority to provide free vaccinations to the states. The condition is that the vaccine for those over 18 years of age must be purchased directly by the states. It is a system that financially stifles the states. Almost all the states, including Kerala, have asked the Prime Minister to reconsider this and provide free vaccines to the states. The Center, which is ready to provide Rs 4,500 crore to companies to increase vaccine production, should also be prepared to meet the demand of the states. Economically viable states can undertake free vaccination drive on their own. UP has announced that it will provide free vaccines to everyone over 18 years of age from May 1

Steps should be taken to establish a flawless and efficient system for vaccine distribution in view of the increasing number of people arriving for vaccination. Many centers in Kerala have been closed for the last few days due to shortage of vaccines. Vaccine centers are overcrowded, although there is a condition to avoid crowding.
This is because of the flaw in the vaccine delivery system. Authorities should open their eyes and see the plight of the people in front of vaccination centres.
This is a problem that can be easily solved by making registration mandatory and arranging the timings. The Serum Insititute of India on Wednesday announced that its Covishield vaccine will be made available to state governments at a price of Rs 400 per dose and to private hospitals at Rs 600 per dose.

This comes just two days after the Centre on Monday announced that the third phase of the coronavirus vaccination drive will open for all persons above age 18 from 1 May.

However, such companies should not cash in on such crisis-ridden situation.