Shekhar Kapur warns against 'vaccine wars' amid recent surge in COVID-19 cases

With fresh new coronavirus cases increasing rapidly around the world, ace filmmaker Shekhar Kapur took to Twitter and expressed his views on how the world collectively responded during uncertain times. The actor penned thought-provoking words under a post by Sustainable Development Goals, that shared a new piece describing how the pandemic is ebbing in some parts of the world that were badly hit by the deadly virus. He also raised concerns over a rise in new cases each day and the casualties associated with it. 

Shekhar Kapur on rise in COVID cases

The Mr. India director spoke about how the deadly disease has exposed several flaws in the systems around the world. While praising the government for rolling out the fastest vaccines ever, the filmmaker urged the people to not fall prey to "vaccine wars" as there is an urgent need to fight together as humanity against the essentially civilisational challenge of the pandemic. "#coronavirus has opened up so many faults in systems in our world. Yet the world has collectively responded with the fasted development of a vaccine ever. We cannot all ourselves now to fall back into ‘vaccine wars’. For in this global world no one is safe until everyone is safe," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, vaccine experts in India are currently concerned that the U.S. is not allowing enough vaccine supplies to be exported under the Defense Production Act. Although the Serum Institute confirmed this wasn’t a factor delaying vaccine doses to Britain, they said it's potentially a major obstacle going forward. Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India, said blocking critical raw materials needed to make vaccines could reduce the capacity to make vaccines globally. “This will hobble the industry,” Reddy said as quoted by The Associated Press. India’s need for vaccines is likely to increase, even more, he added. So far, the country is focussing on inoculating the most vulnerable. 

India's COVID tally to date stands at 1,15,99,130 after 43,846 new cases reported in the past 38 hours, setting another daily highest for the country in the past four months. The daily rise in the coronavirus casualties has taken a rise to 197 while the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, and Kerala are pondering to impose another lockdown or tighten restrictions in public places.

(Image Credit: PTI)