Letters to the Editor — May 13, 2021

Pandemic control

It is totally unfair and irresponsible on the part of those with smartphones and their ‘tech’ abilities to be blocking vaccine slots. If the government has allotted a certain and specific number of doses of the vaccine for a certain place, what happens to the local people living in that vicinity who may not have a smartphone?

The government must quickly come up with a system as to where and how many doses of the vaccine would be distributed on a daily basis, and who is eligible. Those in the age group 18 years and above seem to be insecure especially after the way the surge is spreading and are trying to grab any slot wherever it is available. Those waiting for their second dose are also becoming desperate.

There is no need for governments to pretend that everything is fine. People are well aware of the fact that they do not have enough vaccines. In such a situation, a safe system must be evolved quickly.

Hemachandra Basappa,

Bengaluru

We are a country with an abundance of brilliant minds, but have lost time in creating a crisis management team. We seem to live in denial, with streams of misinformation hiding the reality. The abrupt lockdown last year should have been an eye-opener but a year later, we are still ill-prepared to handle the second wave. We made a premature announcement of success in keeping COVID-19 under check. Today, the vaccine drive is faltering as we have covered only a small percentage of ‘priority citizens’ even while underestimating needs with the addition of new categories. The situation is clearly very serious. All States must report actual mortality which will help map vulnerability. The state of politics is exacerbating the situation. As citizens we need to help each other in the true spirit of humanity.

Donald DCruz,

Mundakkal, Kollam, Kerala