No vaccine that landed in any country has caused so much drama. But then again, no head of government has dropped everything he was doing to physically go and ‘receive’ the donation from the hands of an ambassador. So the vaccine immediately became such a big deal and triggered all sorts of reactions.

There has been controversy about all the vaccines rolled out since the beginning of the month. Some think they are the best thing since sliced bread and others are not convinced of their efficacy or their safety. Here as elsewhere, to take the jab or not is a personal decision each one of us has to make. And that is fine as we have not reached a point where we are so sure that by taking the jab we are saving each other’s lives that not taking it becomes an anti-patriotic act.

Let’s stress while passing, particularly for those who are reluctant to take the ‘Indian vaccine’, that Covidshield is the local name for the Covid-19 vaccine of AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish pharmaceutical company, that is conceived by Oxford University and produced by Serum Institute of India –  by far the biggest laboratory in the world. It is NOT an Indian vaccine.

The fact that the vaccine was ‘donated’ to us has added the usual spices to the debate about whether we should have accepted donations from India. Sentimentalists see receiving a donation from Bhaarat Maata as a source of pride rather than an embarrassment. Many, particularly politicians, see India as an ATM linked to a bank account where they think you don’t have to deposit any funds first. Others, on the other hand, believe that there is no such thing as a free lunch and that we can safeguard our national interests only by standing on our own two feet. Others still believe that there are people in India who are much more deserving of the vaccine than us, in a country ravaged by Covid-19 and that it should have been kept for them.

This situation was made that much more complex with the ethnic angle that always finds a way to creep in, helped by some pouknis with vested interests in a well-calculated move to divide the population.

In the middle of this anger, confusion, mistrust and scepticism, World Health Organization Representative Laurent Musango’s comment added fuel to an already blazing fire. His running to the rescue of the government was a faux-pas that has immediately resulted in a diplomatic incident. “Had the prime minister and minister of the health taken the vaccine, I am sure that the opposition would have blamed them for taking the vaccine from those who need it most,” he said, trying to justify the fact that, unlike other leaders, our head of government did not set the example by taking the vaccine first. Silence is sometimes golden. Dr. Musango should have known that.

The vaccine will likely trigger even more debate and reactions as we start paying for it. Rs1 billion have been earmarked for more vaccines. Those who are good at maths have already worked out that at $6 a dose of AstraZeneca, even if we had to vaccinate everyone, without counting the 100,000 doses obtained from India, 1.3 million doses cost $7.8 million, i.e. around Rs320 million, to which some logistics costs need to be added. Enter Hyperpharm, BoDigital, jewellers, hardware stores, Bissoon Mungroo and anyone who does not put Delwil dan Zorey before sleeping! As our money may be syphoned off in the usual contract-for-cronies way, the prime minister will likely be chairing the same committees, our compatriots will still be busy disentangling their way out of the communal trap carefully set for them and our institutions will arguably see no evil, hear no evil, find no evil and react to no evil. Dr. Musango will have a big decision to make: stay above the fray as diplomats should or compete with the numerous government spokespersons. There seems to be a lot of competition for the latter!