NEW DELHI: Stating that the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic claimed several young lives, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday observed that younger generation should have been vaccinated first as youths are the nations' future.
The court, however, made it clear that it was not at all saying the lives of older people are not important as the emotional support which the elderly persons provide to a family cannot be discounted.
Justice Sanghi, speaking for himself, said that in the second wave of COVID-19, it was the younger generation which was more affected and they were not getting vaccines and added "I don’t understand this vaccination policy at all."
"I can speak for myself... You have announced the vaccination policy for 18 to 44 years old persons now but you don’t have vaccines. Then why you have to make a declaration when you don’t have the vaccines? We have to invest in the future but we are sidelining them," Justice Sanghi said.
"We have to secure our future for that we need to vaccinate our younger generation and here we are giving priority to 60 plus who have lived their lives. It is the younger lot which is the future, we are on our way out," he added.
The judge pointed out that so many young people have lost their lives to COVID-19. He added that in this time of crisis, if a choice has to be made, "we have to choose the younger one because an 80-year-old person has lived his live and he will not take the country forward".
"Ideally, we should be able to save everyone but if we have to choose, we have to save younger people," the judge said. When the Centre's counsel said only God can help us now, the judge said this is the area where even God cannot help us if we do not act ourselves, noting the facts and figures.
"Why are you feeling shy? It is the duty of the government to lay down the way forward. Other countries have done it. In Italy, they said sorry to old people for not having beds," Justice Sanghi said. The court's observations came while hearing pleas relating to management of COVID-19 crisis in Delhi, including shortage of medicine to treat black fungus.
'Even God cannot help if we don’t act ourselves'
When the Centre’s counsel said only God can help us now, the judge said this is the area where even God cannot help us if we do not act ourselves, noting the facts and figures. The court's observations came while hearing pleas relating to management of COVID-19 crisis in Delhi