Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Being ready: On vaccination and India’s third COVID-19 wave

Being ready: On vaccination and India’s third COVID-19 wave

Vaccination (टीकाकरण) was shown to have been a life saver during the third wave of the pandemic (वैश्विक महामारी)

The COVID-19 pandemic is on a discernible (स्पष्ट, साफ़, प्रत्यक्ष) wane (कमी, पतन, घटाव). Just a month ago, India was reporting around 1,70,000 cases a day and the latest numbers suggest (indicate, show) it has plummeted (decrease rapidly, fall sharply/steeply, drop) to around 6,000. India is now contributing to only 0.7% of global cases. Last year this time, cases were below 5,000 a day, encouraging several States and the Centre to claim (दावा करना, दृढ़तापूर्वक कहना, मुआवज़ा माँगना) that the pandemic was over, though within a matter of (no more than) weeks there was a resurgence (पुनरुत्थान, पलटाव) fuelled by the Delta variant (प्रकार, रूपांतर) which birthed (जन्म देना, पैदा करना, उत्पन्न करना) a summer of catastrophe (तबाही, आपत्ति, प्रलय). There is, however, a crucial distinction (भिन्नता) between then and now in that over 75% of those over 15 years are now fully vaccinated ((of people) administered with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease) in India. A small and growing number of those over 60 have had the third dose (खुराक, मात्रा). Reports suggest that over 90% of Indians have been exposed (come into contact with (the disease causing virus)) to the virus over the last two years and, therefore, combined with the vaccination, are sufficiently protected against disease — but not infection — for many more months ahead. What bears emphasis (जोर देना, महत्व, प्राथमिकता, आग्रह) is that avoiding vaccination makes one, particularly the elderly (बुजुर्ग, पुराने लोग), vulnerable to serious infection. Balram Bhargava, Director-General, ICMR, said at a press conference this week that 92% of those who died of COVID-19 since January this year were unvaccinated (भारतीय चिकित्सा अनुसंधान परिषद), and underlined (रेखांकित करना, बल देना) that vaccines (a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease) and the wide vaccination coverage had played an important role in protecting hundreds of lives.

India is fortunate (lucky, favoured, blessed) in that it does not have to battle vaccine hesitancy (a reluctance or refusal to be vaccinated or to have one’s children vaccinated; reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines) in a large measure (mostly, mainly; to a great extent/degree). The initial scepticism (misgiving, doubt/qualm, distrust, suspicion) regarding the vaccines not having passed the typical stages of vaccine approval saw a certain degree (amount, level, extent) of hesitation (reluctance, misgivings, unwillingness, disinclination), but very soon it emerged (recover), in April and May last year, that India’s main problem was an insufficient number of vaccines. Though India today has administered (dispense, provide, give, apply (a drug/vaccine)) nearly 178 crore vaccine doses and has several indigenously (in an indigenous (originating from native/local) manner, something is produced in a particular region/country) developed vaccines that have been approved in emergency mode by authorities (officials, officialdom, the government, the administration, the bureaucracy), there are still serious questions on supply. Currently, vaccine demand is low and the vaccination drive (campaign, effort, push) is in ‘mop up (finish off, deal with (by absorbing final details of something); to complete a project/task) mode’ and administering second doses. But were the pandemic situation to suddenly turn for a fourth wave to take shape, there would be a spike (a sharp rise/increase of something) in demand for vaccinations for children, particularly those below 15, as well as (in addition, and also) booster doses (In medical terms, a booster dose is an extra administration of a vaccine after an earlier dose) for adults. The experience of Covaxin’s (India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate (COVAXIN) developed by a Hyderabad-based company (Bharat Biotech) in collaboration with the ICMR (The Indian Council of Medical Research)) manufacturer being unable to ramp up vaccinations in time (punctually, promptly, on time, not too late, on schedule) during the crisis months ought to (must, should) be a persistent (continuous, constant, non-stop, unceasing) reminder to other biotechnology companies that having vaccines is very different from being ready with a seamless (smooth and continuous) supply chain (a dynamic network when a company purchases or uses goods or services from others. It involves people, information, processes, and resources involved in the production, handling, and distribution of materials and finished products or providing a service to the customer). The Indian government has still not made public a timeline (schedule, deadline) for when vaccines from Biological E, Gennova (India’s first mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine, from Gennova Biopharma, a subsidiary of Pune-based Emcure Pharmaceuticals) and Zydus Cadila will be practically available for mass use. Though the world is occupied (engage, busy, distract, absorb, engross, preoccupy, hold the attention of, involve) with a different crisis, India must not let its guard down and should insist on companies being ready with a measurable (appreciable, significant, obvious, reasonable) timeline.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.vaccination (noun)

Hindi Meaning - टीकाकरण
English Meaning - treatment with a vaccine to protect against a particular disease; immunization.

2.pandemic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - वैश्विक महामारी
English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

3.discernible (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्पष्ट, साफ़, प्रत्यक्ष
English Meaning - visible, noticeable, observable, recognizable, perceptible.

4.wane (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कमी, पतन, घटाव
English Meaning - decrease, decline, lessening, fading.

5.claim (verb)

Hindi Meaning - दावा करना, दृढ़तापूर्वक कहना, मुआवज़ा माँगना
English Meaning - state, affirm, indicate.

6.resurgence (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पुनरुत्थान, पलटाव
English Meaning - increase, return, revival, rebound.

7.variant (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रकार, रूपांतर
English Meaning - different or form or version or mutant of something (virus).

8.birth (verb)

Hindi Meaning - जन्म देना, पैदा करना, उत्पन्न करना
English Meaning - produce, bring into, have.

9.catastrophe (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तबाही, आपत्ति, प्रलय
English Meaning - disaster, devastation, cataclysm, crisis.

10.distinction (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भिन्नता
English Meaning - difference, differentiation, variation.

11.dose (noun)

Hindi Meaning - खुराक, मात्रा
English Meaning - an amount/quantity of something, especially a medicine/drug prescribed to be taken at a specific time.

12.emphasis (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जोर देना, महत्व, प्राथमिकता, आग्रह
English Meaning - importance, significance; priority, insistence.

13.the elderly (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बुजुर्ग, पुराने लोग
English Meaning - the old people.

14.unvaccinated (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - भारतीय चिकित्सा अनुसंधान परिषद
English Meaning - not vaccinated to provide immunity against a disease.

15.underline (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रेखांकित करना, बल देना
English Meaning - emphasize, lay stress on, highlight, call attention to.

16.suggest (verb)

English Meaning - indicate, show.

17.plummet (verb)

English Meaning - decrease rapidly, fall sharply/steeply, drop.

18.a matter of (phrase)

English Meaning - no more than.

19.fuel (verb)

English Meaning - stimulate, encourage, intensify.

20.delta variant/B.1.617.2 (noun)

English Meaning - Formally known as AY.2 or B.1.617.2, it’s a variant of the coronavirus, first identified in India, is renamed as the ‘Delta variant’ by the World Health Organization (WHO) and this variant is reclassified as Variant of Concern (VOC). The B.1.617.1 strain has been reclassified to a Variant of Interest (VOI) and labelled variant “Kappa”.

21.vaccinated (adjective)

English Meaning - (of people) administered with a vaccine to provide immunity against a disease.

22.expose (verb)

English Meaning - come into contact with (the disease causing virus).

23.bear emphasis (verb)

English Meaning - used to say that it is extremely important to know.

24.vulnerable (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a weak/neglected person who is in need of special care/support; endangered, unsafe, unprotected, unguarded, ill-protected; easily affected by, prone to, at risk of.

25.Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) (noun)

English Meaning - the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world. As early as in 1911, the Government of India set up the Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA) with the specific objective of sponsoring and coordinating medical research in the country. It was redesignated in 1949 as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

26.vaccine (noun)

English Meaning - a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease.

27.fortunate (adjective)

English Meaning - lucky, favoured, blessed.

28.vaccine hesitancy (noun)

English Meaning - a reluctance or refusal to be vaccinated or to have one’s children vaccinated; reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines.

29.hesitancy (noun)

English Meaning - reluctance, unwillingness, disinclination.

30.in a large measure (noun)

English Meaning - mostly, mainly; to a great extent/degree.

31.scepticism (noun)

English Meaning - misgiving, doubt/qualm, distrust, suspicion.

32.degree (noun)

English Meaning - amount, level, extent. 

33.hesitation (noun)

English Meaning - reluctance, misgivings, unwillingness, disinclination.

34.emerge (verb)

English Meaning - recover.

35.administer (verb)

English Meaning - dispense, provide, give, apply (a drug/vaccine).

36.indigenously (adverb)

English Meaning - in an indigenous (originating from native/local) manner, something is produced in a particular region/country.

37.authorities (noun)

English Meaning - officials, officialdom, the government, the administration, the bureaucracy.

38.drive (noun)

English Meaning - campaign, effort, push.

39.mop up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - finish off, deal with (by absorbing final details of something); to complete a project/task. 

40.mop-up (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to something (a project/task) that is finishing off.

41.take_shape (phrase)

English Meaning - become definite, become tangible.

42.spike (noun)

English Meaning - a sharp rise/increase of something.

43.as well as (phrase)

English Meaning - in addition, and also.

44.booster dose (noun)

English Meaning - In medical terms, a booster dose is an extra administration of a vaccine after an earlier dose.

45.Covaxin (noun)

English Meaning - India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate (COVAXIN) developed by a Hyderabad-based company (Bharat Biotech) in collaboration with the ICMR (The Indian Council of Medical Research).

46.ramp up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - increase (in amount or number).

47.in time (phrase)

English Meaning - punctually, promptly, on time, not too late, on schedule.

48.ought to (modal verb)

English Meaning - must, should.

49.persistent (adjective)

English Meaning - continuous, constant, non-stop, unceasing.

50.seamless (adjective)

English Meaning - smooth and continuous.

51.supply chain (noun)

English Meaning - a dynamic network when a company purchases or uses goods or services from others. It involves people, information, processes, and resources involved in the production, handling, and distribution of materials and finished products or providing a service to the customer.

52.make public (phrase)

English Meaning - announce, reveal, disclose, publicize, circulate.

53.timeline (noun)

English Meaning - schedule, deadline.

54.Corbevax (noun)

English Meaning - a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Indian biopharmacutical firm Biological E. Biological E’s anti-coronavirus shot, Corbevax, is a RBD protein sub-unit vaccine and is currently undergoing phase 2/3 clinical trials on adults. 

55.Gennova (noun)

English Meaning - India’s first mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine, from Gennova Biopharma, a subsidiary of Pune-based Emcure Pharmaceuticals.

56.ZycoV-D Vaccine (noun)

English Meaning - a three-dose “plasmid DNA” candidate vaccine being developed by Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila. It is a vaccine that uses a genetically engineered, non-replicating version of a type of DNA molecule known as a ‘plasmid’. If approved by the regulator, ZyCov-D will be the world’s first DNA vaccine against infection with SARS-CoV-2.

57.occupy (verb)

English Meaning - engage, busy, distract, absorb, engross, preoccupy, hold the attention of,  involve.

58.let one’s guard down (phrase)

English Meaning - lower one’s guard; to become less guarded/vigilant/careful.

59.measurable (adjective)

English Meaning - appreciable, significant, obvious, reasonable.