Flawed Assumptions and Lack of Critical Detail Is Holding up Vaccination in Rural India

In a 35-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Anurag Behar says that data is posing one of the most serious problems facing the vaccination campaign in rural India. First, “over 90% places have multiple and substantial problems” the most significant of which is that “with patchy net connectivity entering each individual’s data for vaccination into the computer system is a herculean task”. He says a consequence of this is that “data handling (has become) the primary job rather than vaccination”. A second and even bigger problem connected with data is that “the data in the system does not have the addresses of individuals vaccinated”. Consequently, Primary Healthcare Centres have serious problems contacting people who have taken a first dose but not come for the second and often no way of reaching out to people who have not come forward at all. Join The Wire's Youtube Membership and get exclusive content, member-only emojis, live interaction with The Wire's founders, editors and reporters and much more. Memberships to The Wire Crew start at Rs 89/month.    / @thewirenews