Personally, I do not believe in vaccine science in general, and vaccines against viruses in particular, which includes vaccines against coronavirus. I also do not believe coronavirus is as dangerous as it is made out to be. I suspect most government leaders know that there is a controversy regarding it, but for reasons I have not yet managed to fathom properly, are going along with the narrative.

Consequently, I am not at all planning to get myself vaccinated, unless I am forced. If forced I shall consider it as a form of slavery where I do not any more have freedom over even my own body and soul. My immediate family has the same view, and I am kind of happy to note that they independently reached that decision without any discussion with me.

Meanwhile, India is in a peculiar place. Nationalism and pride mades many in India feel good that India has become the largest covid vaccine producer on earth, and that its vaccines are being sought by many countries around the world.

My understanding is that India produces and sells many kinds of covid vaccines, such as :

1. Vaccines that are wholly home grown, of which there are two brands. I am told these are among the most economical of all available vaccines anywhere in the world. That needs to be confirmed by third party verification.

2. Vaccines that are designed by others carrying other brand names, but are mass produced in India on behalf of the original brands, This is similar to iPhones being considered an US design but produced in China. India merely produces the vaccine at a fixed price to the patent holder, while the original patent holder then sells it according to whatever deal it makes with the end user countries.

3. Some Big Pharma jointly researched and produced some vaccines using Indian technicians and pharmaceutical infrastructure, with an arrangement where the final product may be sold independently by both the overseas partner as well as by the Indian partner, sometimes under different brand names.

I am told that about 50% of the worlds covid vaccines are being produced in India alone.

A number of western nations have praised India for being the pharmacy of the world to battle covid19. Most Indians, like most people elsewhere, like being praised by outsiders. So social media is often filled with the proud Indians.

While I like the fact that Indian pharmaceutical capacity is almost matchless, I have mixed feelings about the vaccine issue and the covid vaccine story.

Here is a map I got from an Indian journalist Tanmay Shanker’s post on a local social media platform – Koo, about countries that are getting vaccines from India. You will note that in North America, Canada and Mexico are highlighted while USA is not.

I am a bit puzzled at the exclusion of Russia from this map. I have heard that the Russian Sputnic vaccine has been tested and approved by India, for local sale. Not only that, I read that India had agreed to produce this vaccine for Russia and send it back to Russia for their use, since Russia is unable to produce the numbers they need quickly enough. So, the absence of Russia from this map is a bit puzzling, for me.

Lastly, if I understand Bill Gates, this is only the beginning of the age of vaccines. There are likely to be unending streams of vaccines and other devices down the line, as more and more deadly diseases are planned to turn up as our nemesis that require unending streams of medication. I will not be surprised if India becomes one of the primary beneficiaries of the vaccine avalanche to rain down on the planet, while Bill Gates remains major share holder of almost all vaccine manufacturing plants inside and outside of India.

A new kind of Orwellian world awaits us. I wonder if anybody is actually discussing these issues.

Originally posted on MeWe, and later on this blog.