Lessons from the pandemic battlefield

Exactly six years ago, India began fighting its most deadly war ever against an invisible tiny virus and won the battle. The coronavirus disease or Covid-19, was an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Indian scientists have documented the learnings from the pandemic so that the country is better prepared when a similar catastrophe strikes. It is not a question of if but when the next pandemic strikes the world.

Seven million people are estimated to have died worldwide as the coronavirus pandemic tore through societies, with some assessments placing the true toll several times higher. India's official count stood at about half a million deaths, but the World Health Organisation estimated fatalities to be nearly ten times that number.

Six years on, a definitive scientific account of how India confronted the virus has been published in the form of a peer-reviewed book, ‘At War with the Single Strand: How Indian Science Fought the COVID-19 Pandemic’, brought out by Springer, a leading publisher for science. All the key players who fought the war against the virus have documented their learnings.

The world came to a standstill in early 2020, as a microscopic RNA virus, named SARS-CoV-2, threw humanity into chaos. For India, this was not just a health emergency; it was a defining moment for science and innovation. What followed was an extraordinary saga of resilience, collaboration and determination. It was a war fought in laboratories, hospitals and digital platforms, with science as the frontline soldier.

India established the One Health Mission in 2024 to holistically look at diseases that originate in animals and plants and spill over to humans. The mission is a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach that unites human, animal and environmental health sectors. It recognises the interconnectedness of these domains, aiming to optimise health outcomes and address challenges across sectors. The country's Principal Scientific Adviser's office is leading the inititiave. With its diverse wildlife, one of the largest livestock populations and a high density of human population, India carries heightened risks for the inter-compartmental spread of diseases.

One learning was highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he said, "The coronavirus crisis has taught India to be self-sufficient and not depend on others for anything we need in our daily lives. It has made it absolutely clear that we have to depend only on ourselves for our survival."

As news of the virus spread in China in late December 2019, Indian scientists began urgent discussions on how to respond. By early January 2020, the country had a clear R&D strategy built on four pillars: understanding the virus through genome sequencing, developing affordable diagnostics, creating novel therapeutics and building vaccines to prevent infection. This blueprint would become the foundation of the country's fight against Covid-19.

Dr Renu Swarup, former Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology and lead author of the book, recalls those early days: "Science became the frontline defence. From genome sequencing to diagnostics and vaccines, our researchers and industry partners worked tirelessly to deliver solutions in record time. This was not just a fight against Covid-19, it was a fight to build a robust ecosystem for future health challenges."

In March 2020, India was dependent on imported diagnostic kits. Within three months, that changed dramatically. By June, India had achieved complete self-reliance in testing. Industry leaders, academia and startups collaborated to produce indigenous molecular diagnostic kits that were both affordable and highly sensitive. The Department of Biotechnology, Andhra Medtech Zone (AMTZ) and Mylab, a startup, led this transformation, ensuring uninterrupted testing even during the peak of the Delta wave. Today, these kits are also exported - a shining example of atmanirbhar Bharat.

India's fight faltered during the second deadly wave when the Delta variant struck the country with virulence and the mismanagement of oxygen cylinders in the country left many dead.

Perhaps the most remarkable chapter in this fight is India's vaccine development programme, named Mission Covid Suraksha. Leveraging multiple platform technologies -- from inactivated virus to mRNA and DNA -- India created a diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates. Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and Serum Institute's Covishield became household names, while Zydus Cadila, Biological-E and Gennova Biopharmaceuticals added many vaccines to the arsenal.

Dr Narendra Kumar Arora, Chairman of INCLEN Trust International, emphasises the scale of this achievement: "India was known as the world's vaccine manufacturer. During the Covid-19 pandemic, India got recognised as a global leader in vaccine development. This was possible because of strong industry-academia partnerships and an enabling ecosystem that will accelerate future vaccine research for diseases like TB, HIV and malaria." Since then, India has been testing new vaccines against TB, dengue and Zika.

The country executed the largest vaccination drive in history, administering over 2 billion doses. Behind this success was a vast clinical trial network and regulatory systems that ensured safety and efficacy. A critical enabler of India's vaccination success was CoWIN, an indigenously developed digital platform that streamlined registration, scheduling and certification. CoWIN also set a global benchmark for digital health solutions. Its success has inspired plans for future adult vaccination programmes in India.

Through initiatives like Vaccine Maitri and contributions to the Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, India supplied millions of vaccine doses to countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. A whopping 162 million doses were supplied to 96 countries even as Indians were vaccinated with nearly two billion doses. This act of solidarity reinforced India's role as a trusted global health partner and a solid supply chain backbone.

The rapidly mutating virus demanded constant vigilance. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics or Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium (INSACOG) was set up to track variants and correlate mutations with clinical outcomes. This effort positioned India as a major contributor to global genomic databases and strengthened preparedness for future pandemics.

While the pandemic exposed gaps like the unforeseen shortage of oxygen cylinders, it also created opportunities. India now possesses a robust ecosystem for translational research, vaccine development and digital health. The learnings from Covid-19 will guide strategies for tackling emerging diseases and developing antivirals, a global lacuna exposed during the pandemic. India's online education and the robust fintech ecosystem with the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) have now become part of everyday existence.

Dr Swarup sums up the sentiment: "The fight against Covid-19 was not just about science, it was about partnerships, governance and the collective will of a nation. We have built capacities that will serve us well in the years to come."

Today, the country stands better prepared, more confident, and globally recognised as a leader in health technology and pandemic response. The book gives a detailed understanding of the Covid-19 learnings and experience. The next pandemic may happen sooner than later.