In India, the vaccination is drive is going on at a slower pace. Though some of the fully vaccinated people are getting infected with Covid-19 due to exposure, the mortality rate among such individuals is highly unlikely and negligible, as per the latest reports. But still, the medical authorities are advising the people to wear masks, maintain social distancing and use hand wash/ sanitizers frequently.
On the contrary, the USA recommended its fully vaccinated citizens to take off the masks and shun social distancing.
The Interim Public Health recommendations for fully vaccinated people in the USA say, "Resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing. Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.
Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States. Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic. Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms".
Why this difference between the two nations? Is this linked to the efficacy of respective vaccines? While the USA is inoculating their people with Pfizer and Moderna to the maximum, India is on Covaxin and Covishield.
Dr Ameya Pillai, a pulmonologist says, "It has got nothing to do with the efficacy part. USA has already vaccinated 50% of its population and in some states it is more than 70%. So, the herd immunity is achieved to a satisfactory mark. But in India, the situation is not the same. Here not even the 15% of the population are fully vaccinated. The vaccinated people may become carriers and infect the non-vaccinated crowd if the face-masks and the social distancing protocols are dismissed. India cannot draw parallel to the USA unless more than 70% of the population is vaccinated here. All the vaccines- Pfizer, Moderna, Covaxin and Covishield are effective in shielding the humans from Covid-19 infection".
But still there are some doubts surrounding this phenomenon.
“We don’t want to declare victory prematurely because we still have a ways to go. But the more and more people that can get vaccinated, as a community, the community will be safer and safer. Danger of emerging coronavirus variants that can diminish the effectiveness of existing vaccines would persist as long as there was “some degree of activity” around the world”, Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease told in a recent interview to The Guardian.
A senior journalist from Mumbai opines, "USA might be doing a social experiment on their people, to understand the efficacy of vaccination, by recommending them not to wear masks and shun social distancing. It may end up as a dangerous move if the pandemic wave surges up again as no vaccine ever declared 100% protection against the Covid-19. I feel it is advisable even for the Americans to wear masks and maintain social distancing for few more months in spite of government recommendations".
Amidst all these doubts, suppositions and clarifications the people in India are eagerly waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The recommendations passed by the USA to its fully vaccinated citizens are certainly giving a sigh of relief even for the Indians who hope such days are ahead.