A boy prepares to have a nasal sample taken for COVID-19 testing near a metro station in New Delhi, India, July 13, 2021. (MANISH SWARUP / AP)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to replace the federal health minister marks an admission of the government’s poor handling of COVID-19, which wreaked havoc during a second wave of infections in the South Asian nation, observers said.

In what is arguably the biggest cabinet reshuffle in his second term as India’s top leader, Modi on July 7 got rid of 12 ministers, including the man tasked with overseeing the health ministry, Harsh Vardhan.

Vardhan’s replacement by Mansukh Mandaviya as health minister is seen as acknowledgement of the administration’s dismal pandemic response, though some Modi critics say that Vardhan was made a scapegoat to cover up for the prime minister’s own leadership failures.

Following a deadly second wave of infections this year, India’s total coronavirus tally has risen to around 30.9 million cases, with more than 408,000 deaths, as of July 11.

Vardhan, until his ouster, kept telling the world that India was setting a benchmark in fighting the dreaded virus. On March 7, he even pronounced the pandemic’s “endgame”.

Harsh Vardhan’s replacement by Mansukh Mandaviya as health minister is seen as acknowledgement of the administration’s dismal pandemic response, though some critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi say that Vardhan was made a scapegoat to cover up for the prime minister’s own leadership failures

“Certainly, such hyperbolic statement left many bemused, but one must not miss the main point. What Vardhan said was an echo of what Modi had already asserted — (that) India was well on course to beat the virus,” an industry leader said on condition of anonymity.

The former health minister had been upbeat in his assessment of the pandemic situation in recent weeks as the daily COVID-19 case numbers and fatalities began falling.

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In April and May, India saw more than 400,000 daily average infections, but the numbers have since dropped significantly. In recent days, daily positive cases were mostly in the 40,000-45,000 range.

As per official figures, about 27 million infections had been recorded by late May, with the deaths standing at over 300,000 at that point in time.

Experts believe the COVID tally is understated, with many cases not being logged.

“The actual number was most likely higher,” said Debabrata Mitra, a practicing medic. “India’s healthcare system was not quite ready for a pandemic of such scale.”

“Hundreds of people died (amid) … acute shortage of hospital beds, medicines and medical oxygen,” Mitra told China Daily. “Many were left abandoned to die.”

Vardhan’s departure is certainly a message on the handling of the second COVID-19 wave. “But it is unfair to single out the (former) health minister,” Mitra said.

Amid fears that India may witness a third wave of the coronavirus, authorities are stepping up their act.

Soon after Mandaviya was sworn in as the new health minister, the government announced a US$3 billion package to shore up the public health system.

At a media conference, the minister said the funds will be utilized for an array of projects including creation of 240,000 new hospital beds, 736 district paediatric care units, bolstering medical oxygen storage facilities in every district, and establishing an integrated digital platform for telemedicine and teleconsultation services.

All this will be executed in nine months, the new health minister told reporters.

“Better late than never. Some course correction was urgently needed,” said Mitra.

The government has laid special focus on child health care. Of 20,000 upcoming ICU beds, 20 percent will be for children. This comes amid fears that the expected third wave may impact children.

Tanmay Mahapatra, an epidemiologist, said there are many lessons to learn from the second wave.

Now that the second wave is showing signs of easing, it is time to introspect and focus on the basics. It is extremely important to scan what really accentuated the surge of cases in the second wave, (and) act accordingly, before the third wave hits us.

Tanmay Mahapatra, an epidemiologist

“Now that the second wave is showing signs of easing, it is time to introspect and focus on the basics. It is extremely important to scan what really accentuated the surge of cases in the second wave, (and) act accordingly, before the third wave hits us,” he said.

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He fears higher infectivity and virulence owing to newer mutations. “Younger groups, including children are especially vulnerable,” Mahapatra said, calling for vigilance against new virus strains after the highly contagious Delta variant was found in India earlier this year.

“Meticulously-planned and phase-wise relaxation of lockdowns, faster coverage of vaccination, focused campaigns to counter reluctance to get inoculated, a plan to reach the unvaccinated, especially the elderly and the immobile, must top the government’s agenda,” he said.

According to the Indian government, as of July 11, the country’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 376 million people.

Mahapatra said it is imperative that all community leaders are taken on board, all available resources are tapped and frontline health workers and on-ground volunteers are mobilized.

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Samiran Panda, head of the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Division at the New Delhi-based Indian Council of Medical Research, or ICMR, called for calm.

“There is no reason to get paranoid. It is likely that the COVID-19 virus, just like influenza, will reach its endemic stage like influenza after some time,” he said.

“This means that the elderly and the vulnerable will be required to be inoculated every year,” Panda has been quoted as saying by local media.

ICMR chief Balram Bhargava has insisted on COVID-19 appropriate behavior. In his view, the challenge is not the third wave, but how people act on it.

Though there has been a significant drop overall in the number of cases, some northeastern states are seeing a rise in infections, Bhargava warned during a media briefing.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.