Thread by @pratimbose

Who said #hesitancy was not a prob? My comorbid wife delayed taking shot by a month. Sr citizen neighbour pastered doctor son against vaccine. #Covaxin was not mocked? It was done till early April. Hesitancy was so common that bengal went slow on covax indent 1/n

https://twitter.com/dhume/status/1392559080854757379

Why all health staff, Sr xitizen didn't queue up 4 #vaccine in Feb-March? Centres wr idle. Data proves, Thr ws not equal push from all states either. All rushed 4 vax as #SecondWave struck. As in end April 50% on queue for vax wr above 60. This contributed to overcrowding. 2/n

Yes thr is now a #VaccineShortage. But part of it is perceived. Do we have enough manpower & other necessary infra to inoculate 3 USAs (90cr adult) at one go? V got feb-april. Cud USA vaccinate all in 3 months? On April 18, only 50% Americans wr vaccinated. De started ahead. 3/n

@narendramodi govt shud share blame 4 not announcing a #vaccine policy & not placing advance phasewise orders. But rest assured vaccination has 2 be phasewise as govt planned. What is d problem if govt stresses on own vaccine? Why shouldn't v use opportunity 2 build muscle? 4/n

Lot of import interest. Why? What did they want? #India shud go begging vaccine to #China? Was China selling vaccine till a month ago? Do we remember the popular sentiments across d world on Chinese medicine Post #covid? 5/n

Finally, was India together in stepping up vaccination? While inoculation was low, thr was no stopping of opposition politics, led by Maharashtra on vaccine. In April Bengal vaccination was lower than country avg but State pressed 4 direct procurement. 6/n

I am critical of @narendramodi govt for giving in to such political pressure. They shud hav focused attention on central procurement. This wud hav helped mass scale licensed manufacturing. Freedom 2 States broke chain or delayed d process. 7/n

A nation has right to criticise its govt & de shud. A traumatised person may go berserk. But use of that opportunity in building narrative against #Modi govt even 4 blackmarketing of cylinders is not criticism. It's attempt 2 weaken fed govt at the time of #COVIDEmergency. 8/n

Some decisions of @narendramodi wr not right. #kumbh may hav been avoided. But what about States? Were de responsible? Till last wk marriage at my society. Eid shopping on. Mask not mandatory. Saw congregations in UP, TN. These don't spread infection? 9/n

In 2020, all pundits projected bleak picture for #Indianeconomy. But it recovered too fast. Was firing from all cylinders in March. Look electricity dd in 1stwk of April. Every1 gaining. Why no appreciation #Modi?
10/n

Mass nonchalance shows ppl r yet to be as bothered about #covid (probably due to low death/popln). That's not license 2 kill. But using covid as weapon to destabilise govt, #economy are not appreciable either. 11n/n.

*pestered.