Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, a public policy think tank of the government, today said that the second India COVID-19 wave has been more catastrophic than the first one.
- The CEO stated that an adequate amount of vaccine will be available from August onwards.
- The need to build hospital infrastructure, human resources, and ICU facility at the grassroot level was pointed out as an opportunity for the private sector to help the country.
- It is feared that if a third wave happens, the children and people in rural areas will get impacted.
The second wave overwhelmed the health system for a while, and the government has taken a series of measures since then with a steady decline in the number of active COVID-19 cases.
“There has been further ramping up of the vaccination drive, and the private sector has played a very pivotal role in managing the pandemic and has complimented the efforts of the government in a significant way,” Mr. Kant stated.
Addressing the virtual “Interactive session on Saving Lives and Livelihood,” organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), jointly with hospitality company OYO, Mr. Kant applauded the role of the private sector in the overall vaccination drive.
“There may be a slight demand-supply imbalance in vaccination during June-July but from August onwards there will be an adequate amount of vaccines available. From then on, we should be able to vaccinate everybody in India properly and that should help us,” he added.
