April 28, 2021 India has fully vaccinated only about 23 million people, not even 10% of the 300 million it aims to inoculate by August. Lest we forget, there are 1.3 billion people in India. To make things worse, the pace of vaccinations has slowed from 3.5 million doses a day in March , to an average of roughly 2.5 million likely due to acute shortages. With cases exploding and touching nearly 350,000 new infections per day, getting as many people as possible vaccinated fast should be an immediate priority. But besides vaccine stocks, India will also need to improve on its communications strategy. Historically, India does not have strong anti-vaccine sentiment. Its universal immunization program, against diseases like measles, rubella, and tuberculosis, is among the most robust in the world, with the drive against polio often cited as a success. But with Covid-19, there has been hesitancy and skepticism; India even has a homegrown vaccine, which has been presented and lauded as an Indian success, but healthcare professionals are worried about the lack of peer-reviewed evidence of efficacy.