It was comforting to sit back and watch public health nurse Marcia Thomas-Yetman receiving the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine administered in Jamaica. Marcia rolled up her sleeve and stepped into history at an awesome moment — the March 10 date marking one year since the first case of the novel coronavirus was confirmed in Jamaica.

It was also good to see former prime ministers P J Patterson and Bruce Golding taking their vaccinations and setting an example to those who have demonstrated hesitance and outright objection.

The country breathed an enormous sigh of relief as we joined countries the world over in a bid to vaccinate the human race in the fight against COVID-19.

Jamaica is not at the end of the line. There is already a sharp gap between the implementation of the vaccination programmes in different countries, particularly between the rich and the poorer nations. Jamaica is simply not able to compete with the so-called First World countries in the race to purchase the vaccine.

And, by the way, there are one or two countries, Tanzania in particular, that according to World Health Organization officials are refusing to participate. This poses a threat because if international borders are reopened then people from such countries, if allowed to travel, will continue to spread the virus abroad.

The same applies to countries in which some citizens refuse to take the vaccine for whatever reason. Until we can achieve total herd immunity the virus will remain a threat.

Now, after some very anxious moments, we are happy to be out of the starting blocks. Prime Minister Andrew Holness has expressed “our deep appreciation to the Government and people of India for this very much-needed support”.

Just think. India has contributed millions of doses of ‘Made in India’ vaccine to various countries around the world. Twenty-five nations have already received the vaccines and 49 more countries will be supplied in the coming days, ranging from Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean to Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands.

Are you puzzled as to where all this is coming from? What may not be well known in Jamaica is that India is a vaccine powerhouse: It makes 60 per cent of the world’s vaccines and is home to half a dozen major manufacturers. The world’s largest vaccine maker by volume is Serum Institute of India.

Questions have been asked about India’s ability to vaccinate its own people before extending such largesse across the five continents. The country launched its local vaccine drive, the world’s largest inoculation effort, in early January. It has vaccinated more than 20 million people so far.

It has so far exported 58 million doses, some in the form of ‘gifts’ (as to Jamaica) and others in line with commercial agreements.

So much thanks to India. And thanks be to God. Has God been left out of the equation? I have not seen or heard of any prayers being said publicly over this gift on behalf of the nation. Perhaps I am wrong, and if so I apologise, but shouldn’t there be time and space reserved for the nation to ask for a special thanksgiving and blessing over the vaccine?

It would be a huge mistake, and totally contrary to the Jamaican style, to leave God out of this. We are a Christian country — never mind the gross misbehaviours — and we know the value pf prayer. Our national anthem is a prayer, meetings of every hue and kind start with prayer; indeed, prayer is an agenda item at most gatherings.

Maybe the Ministry of Health and Wellness could dedicate a segment of one of the daily press conferences to a special service calling for humility, thankfulness, and blessing led by our church leaders. Let the nation come together at this special moment to ask God’s wisdom, guidance, and understanding as we go into what is virtually uncharted waters. May we understand that with the timely intervention of this vaccine, we must not, and need not, walk alone.

As US President Barack Obama would say, “This is the moment,” a very critical time in our lives.

India’s other gifts

The vaccine is not the first gift from India to land on Jamaican soil. We have had a long history of good relationships with that nation. Following Emancipation 1,938 Indians were brought into Jamaica to make up for the shortage of labour on the estates. The first group arrived in 1845. Their contracts allowed for repatriation after a scheduled time. Some returned to India, many stayed in Jamaica and integrated into the society and founded families that have served well and at the highest levels of business, government, culture, education, medicine, and sports.

The majority of the early arrivals settled in the sugar estate regions across Jamaica, particularly in St Catherine, St Thomas, Clarendon, Westmoreland, and St Mary. They played a huge role in rural cricket with their wily spin bowlers dominating sugar estate and the Nethersole cricket competitions.

They have also given us, and the world, a man named Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the highest run-scorer of all time in internationals, and the only player to have scored 100 international centuries. He is also the holder of the record for the most runs in both Test and One-Day International cricket, and the only player to complete more than 30,000 runs in international cricket. He is affectionately known as Little Master or Master Blaster. And he came to Jamaica.

I saw Tendulkar in the fifth Test India vs West Indies at Sabina Park in May 2002. We won that Test, but Tendulkar’s appearance, even more than his performance (he made 86 in the 2nd innings), was like the fulfillment of a dream that everyone had been waiting for. If we could have wrapped him in swaddling clothes we would.

Just to see the Little Master walk out to bat was enough. He seemed to rise up to meet the ball in the air while maintaining complete balance, command, and poise, each stroke picture perfect, with his straight drive eliciting the oohs and ahhs of an appreciative crowd that had come to get their fill from the Little Master’s cup.

It was a pity that he was not able to be present at the turning on of the lights at Sabina Park on Sunday, August 3, 2014. The lighting project was powered by a US$2.1-million grant from the Government of India. Another gift to Jamaica from India, the country that gave Tendulkar to the world.

Both our countries have similar colonial histories and are vibrant parliamentary democracies today.

India has been actively sharing technical and skill-based training with Jamaica and have hosted a significant number of Jamaicans in India for such training.

Interracial marriages between Indian and African citizens have produced some of the most beautiful girls on the planet, with our Miss Jamaica contests and international beauty forays distinguished by a touch of the Indian features that have captured the attention of world audiences.

Lance Neita is a public relations specialist, newspaper columnist, and writer. He is the author of In Partnership With Jamaica , the story of Kaiser Aluminum’s 50-year partnership with Jamaica. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lanceneita@hotmail.com.