HTLS 2020: Covid virus is very smart, says AIIMS director. He explains why
Dr Guleria said that the percentage of population inoculated by 2021 will depend on the number of Covid-19 vaccines getting regulatory approval early next year and the number of doses they will produce.
AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said that a significant number of the population would be vaccinated by the end of next year to get the coronavirus pandemic under control. Speaking at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2020, Dr Guleria said all health care workers and frontline workers would be vaccinated by the end of 2021, adding that the high-risk group also needs to be looked at.
“That’s a tough question. I hope we are able to do a large number. I am sure all the health care workers and frontline workers would be vaccinated, but then we also need to look at the high-risk group,” said Dr Guleria when he was asked about how many people will get vaccinated next year.
Also Read | At HTLS 2020, experts say we will have to learn to live with Covid-19
Dr Guleria said that the percentage of population inoculated by 2021 will depend on the number of Covid-19 vaccines getting regulatory approval early next year and the number of doses they will produce. He predicted that we may have that million doses to give to the population . “I hope it is 30-40 per cent at least,” he added.
‘Very smart virus’
Talking about India’s preparation for future pandemic, Dr Guleria said that India’s response to Covid-19 has been “pretty good”. He opined that India has done pretty well in terms of innovation as it embarked on an “interesting journey”, adding that the country managed enough PPE and ventilators. The AIIMS director also pointed out that SARS-CoV-2 virus is very smart, advising that people have to learn to live with it.
“This is a very smart virus. The more you learn about it, the more you admire it... It bypasses your defence mechanism. We will have to learn to live with and learn to control it,” he cautioned.
Started in the year 2003, the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit aims to raise the level of discourse on critical issues, encourage interaction among leaders in important areas and present quality thought. This year’s HTLS started with a session on Covid-19 during which Dr Guleria and Dr Ashish K Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health spoke on the raging pandemic. The theme of this year’s edition is ‘Defining a New Era’ as the world struggle to overcome the coronavirus pandemic.
