Delhi Govt Runs Doubtful Covid Vaccination Drive

Photo: Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister, Delhi
Photo: Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister, Delhi

Delhi Govt Runs Doubtful Covid Vaccination Drive
June 9, 2021

Although Kejriwal’s office acknowledged the receipt of my email, it could not provide its response to any of the queries.

By Rakesh Raman

It is being observed that coronavirus (Covid-19) has become the most complex conundrum for health experts around the world. They have been issuing random guidelines – mostly based on conjectures – to prevent the contagion. As the same ambiguous approach is being used for vaccination, people are more confused than enthused as they are being asked by the political leaders to get vaccinated.

Since a number of cases came up during the past couple of months where people got infected or suffered side effects after receiving the vaccines, the debate must shift from vaccine distribution to vaccine safety.

A recent report submitted by the National AEFI (Adverse Event Following Immunization) Committee to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has reported some bleeding and clotting cases following Covid vaccination in India. As WHO is also not sure about the effectiveness or the harms of Covid-19 vaccines, it has launched a vaccine injury compensation programme.

However, politicians in poor, undeveloped countries such as India are playing dirty political games around vaccines just to hoodwink the citizens without truthfully revealing the facts about vaccines. In order to know the strategy and stratagem behind the vaccination drive, I sent the following queries to Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, which is among the worst-managed states of India.

Although Kejriwal’s office acknowledged the receipt of my email, it could not provide its response to any of the queries. It simply shows that the clamour around the scarcity of vaccines is a farce in the absence of an assurance about the efficacy of vaccines.

You can study the queries that I emailed on June 7 to Kejriwal and take appropriate action to streamline the vaccination process and refine the vaccination messaging for the benefit of Indian citizens.

The email content is given below.

Rakesh Raman 


To                                                                                                                           June 7, 2021

Mr. Arvind Kejriwal
Chief Minister
Delhi

Copy for Information and Necessary Action: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO)

Subject: Editorial Inputs on Effects of Covid-19 Vaccines

Dear Mr. Kejriwal,

I am a journalist and social activist. Besides handling other editorial and social projects, I also produce The Outbreak magazine which covers global coronavirus (Covid-19) news and views. I want your response on the following Covid-19 vaccine-related queries for my editorial work.

  1. As there are multiple reports of adverse effects of Covid-19 vaccines, how do you record and report the effects of vaccines on each person after giving them the vaccine doses?
  2. How many people got infected, showed side effects, and died in Delhi after getting vaccinated in the month of May 2021?
  3. Is the impact of Covishield, Covaxin, or any other vaccine that is being used in Delhi different? How do you empirically measure the efficacy of different vaccine brands on people?
  4. Are the current vaccines being used by the Delhi Government effective on all the prevailing coronavirus variants?
  5. What is the immunization period during which the vaccines will protect the people from coronavirus and other variants? Will you have to repeat the vaccines after the immunization period on people who have already been vaccinated?
  6. What risk-benefit analysis have you done for vaccination and can you publicly share the findings of this analysis?
  7. What study has the Delhi Government done to assess the effect of Covid-19 vaccines on people with immune system deficiencies or dysregulations?
  8. How do you allay the fears of people who are hesitant to get vaccinated because of the vaccines’ perceived harmful effects?
  9. How do you ensure “bodily integrity” or “bodily autonomy” for the citizens of Delhi while urging them to get vaccinated?
  10. Who will be responsible in the Delhi Government if a vaccine causes any harm to any person in Delhi?
  11. What compensation does the Delhi Government provide to individuals who have suffered a serious adverse event associated with a Covid-19 vaccine? 
  12. What plan have you made to procure and administer new vaccines for the emerging virus variants?
  13. As you are spreading an unprecedented hype about vaccination without explicitly communicating the possible adverse effects of vaccines, do you realize that this political manoeuvre can be harmful for citizens?  
  14. You can add any other point from your side regarding the impact of vaccines on people.

I request you to send me your response to the above queries by Tuesday (June 8, 2021).

Thank You

Contact

Rakesh Raman

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