During a casual conversation with a friend, he was telling about his mom who was recently discharged from the hospital. Earlier, she was admitted in a Covid hospital. Luckily without much complication, she turned negative. However, she was very weak after her discharge. At that time, her oxygen saturation level was round 75. So, they put her in another small hospital, where she recuperated well.
During this discussion, we both were telling about how our country lost hold of the crisis. As we spoke, it was still a mess, and many decisions seems unclear and citizens are in dark about what our future would be.
He suggested a plan to speed up vaccination. Even thought I thought of similar idea, I didn’t think the way he put it across.
Here’s the modus operandi. The plan is to speed the pace of current vaccination and cover as many people as possible. . Remember we are a country of 1.3 billion people. Going with the current pace, we’re going to take many months and by them we loose many lives. Here’s how!
Step 1 – Speed up Vaccination by Purchasing Vaccines from US
Govt should create a special Covid Task force team and give permission to select 10 to 15 companies to buy vaccines from United States ( Pfizer, Moderna and J &J). The vendors can purchase it at market price or the best price available. Make this process fast, transparent, without any ambiguity. . And this plan must be executed on war footing pace.
Step 2 – Prepare venue for vaccination drive
Select and set-up different spots for vaccination drive, such as stadium, auditoriums, school and college building. All these spots should have ample parking facilities. And all venue will have on-call taxis and cabs ( free and paid) so that people can reach without any hassle. Also rural and urban area should be selected.
Step 3 – Pricing of each shot
This is where the novelty of plan comes. First of all it’s NOT a free vaccine. And this plan banks on the generosity of common citizens, middle class and high net-worth individuals, volunteers and support of businesses.
This is the plan. First, the price of the single jab is calculated. This includes profit for the purchaser. Next, comes the catch and chasm. Vaccines can only be bought in a set of two. That means, a person has to buy a minimum of two shots or more. Extra price paid, will be used to given out for free to a person who can’t afford it.
For example, a philanthropist or a wealthy person or a generous person can even buy 10 or 50 or 5000 or any number of shots. The extra paid by the citizen, will be used to give free vaccination.
To achieve this sort of unprecedented voluntary act, we need to tell the right story and message across India. Remember how we forfeited our gas subsidy to pass the benefit for the needy.
On the Hook – Story of Giving and Being Generous
In the words of Seth Godin, the expression on the hook probably comes a generic tradition in Turkey. Where you have a couple of extra bucks in your pocket and you go to a bakery, you buy two loafs instead of one. And, you put the second loaf on a hook on the wall. And someone who’s hungry comes in, they can have a loaf of bread. It’s a form of sharing and it’s a form of responsibility. ( Well, this idea of mass vaccination is another form of Hook on the Wall Concept. We need the citizens to share their resources and build a network of responsibility).
Biggest Humanitarian and Generous Project
One thing that can derail this project is by making this idea politicized. Of course, the ruling party has to take the initiative, with the support of all the other parties. We need every citizen of the country to unanimously take this project to heart. To achieve this sort of country-wide support, the campaign must include ordinary people to influencers like cricket stars, sports legends, film stars, social media stars, corporate houses, industrialists, NGO’s, musicians, IT companies, NRI’s, business houses, politicians from every brand and any citizen who wish to contribute.
Even if a person has already vaccinated, they can voluntary buy extra vaccines.
A LIVE TV channel should start in every state, which gives an update of the donations, contributions received. Here a person donating the vaccine will have the option where the extra vaccines will be shot.
Imagine, if a malayalee NRI or a Malayalee samajam in United States donates the price of 100 units, then he/ has or the NGO will have the option to use it any locality or place in India. In most cases, a vaccine donnor will have a preference to give the free shots to the people of his home town. This kind of regional drive, will bring more people to contribute as they feel connected to place. ( however this is optional) Either give it to a central pool or give it a location of choice.
Here data plays a big role. We need proper transparent data which shows the number of people vacinnated in each town, city. and how many are left. This details will prompt citizens or NRIs spread across the word to contribute to a Covid free India program.
Now imagine that you buy one doze vaccine. Even then, you are paying an extra for another person to get vaccinated.
And, every donor will gete a e-certificate which shows the number of vaccines they have contributed
( While this plan of paid vaccination runs, Govt will simultaneously progress with the CoviShield and Covaxin program). This will take the load from the Govt FREE vaccination drive which is currently running in this country. Probably, a new App should be created with the help of Indian IT companies and it should have easy option to buy extra vaccines, receive donation, and even have the option to send free food to the people
Also, walk-in for donations, which will be opened round-the-clock at main cities and towns.
Step 4 – Will it Work?
It should work if we all stand together and if the plan is transparent. We Indians are now passing each day with the only hope that this virus wont come to our home. Also, we have lost hundreds of people and every day, the number are just going high. And, today ( 28/5/21) , I lost a neighbor to covid. A friendly and pleasing guy.
Even as I write,we are still in a period of uncertainty. We have no clue as to what tomorrow holds us. Only hope is to get all people vaccinated. Probably, that’s only way for heard immunity.
We want a closure of this problem. We don’t want to loose anyone. We don’t want broken families, We want normalcy. We want work. We want to move on. We want our kids to attend school and colleges should reopen.Enough is enough!
For me, this project seems practical, only if someone from the current administration can take it. Our dependency of just two vaccines ( CoviShield and Covaxin) is not enough.
I know it appears an utopian way of solving this issue. If so, you can improvise it and come with a better version. Right Now I can only think of this.
Let’s Join Hands to make it a Covid Free India
If you’re reading this them share it to those who can debate on this topic. Probably, we need this idea to come to the policy makers and politicians. Hopefully, this sort of plan will expediate the vaccination drive.
Let’s start a new model of functioning.
Flossy Ideas, Meetups and Views 