In late 2019, a dreaded enemy that knows no boundaries, started spreading faster than any other pathogen has in recent history. The contagion became a pandemic overnight, taking into its deadly embrace every nook and corner of the world. Governments, medical professionals, scientists and financial planners around the world start fretting about the direct and indirect human, health, social and economic costs of the pandemic, with no good answers, let alone a satisfactory counter to the virus.
Every country – rich and poor, scrambled to find a balance between reducing the impact of the virus while keeping the economy running. Every country has its unique challenges, but none more than India. The scale, complexity and diversity of the country coupled with its deep global economic integration meant India had to find counters to the pandemic evolving its own financial, healthcare and social models.
And India did just that. With decisive political leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ingenuity of Indian pharmaceutical firms and their scientists and a whole of government approach, India overcame the worst fears and potential downside scenarios. India created its own vaccine intellectual property, used technology backbone to distribute them and helped the world in the true spirit of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam.
Braving a Viral Storm: India’s Covid-19 Vaccine Story recalls this story of India’s fortitude and collective resolve. This book details how our self-belief played a key role in bouncing back from the pandemic and put India on a path of an ingrained Aatmanirbhar thought process.
