No matter the strictness of the lockdown or for how long it remains implemented, at the end of the day, vaccination remains the one effective way of ensuring that we can survive this pandemic.
One of the mistakes we had made initially was relying on a single source for the vaccines -- namely, India -- but, of course, that supply was cut off as India began to experience its own nationwide crisis.
Since then, we have planned better, sourcing our vaccines from a variety of sources, but even then, there have been stumbling blocks along the way, and no clear plan of action that would see this vaccination campaign successfully reach its end.
One way we can do better is by taking a look at our neighbours, and how they have tackled the issue of vaccination amongst the masses, with Sri Lanka being a prime example, whose approach has received much praise from organizations such as WHO.
Sri Lanka has already crossed the 13 million mark when it comes to doses, with the government’s plan being to inoculate two doses of Covid-19 vaccines to at least 13.5 million citizens over the age of 30 by September this year.
By having a clear goal and a date by which it wished to achieve the target, Sri Lanka was able to source its vaccinations early and act accordingly, despite running into problems with regards to the AstraZeneca vaccine from India -- like Bangladesh.
At the end of the day, we must keep our priorities straight and plan ahead, keeping potential problems in mind. Authorities have already pushed back the inoculation campaign citing a shortage of manpower and vaccines, and is now scheduled to begin on August 14.
Such delays will not do moving forward, and we hope the authorities in question have a clearer plan with which to vaccinate the nation without adding to the confusion.