High-tech hunt for scarce COVID-19 vaccines in India raises fear for fairness

FILE PHOTO: 3D-printed small toy figurines, a syringe and vial labelled "coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine" are seen in front of India flag in this illustration taken May 4, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian tech experts have written software code and designed websites to help people book scarce COVID-19 vaccinations online, raising concern about an unfair advantage for the tech savvy and jeopardising chances of an equitable vaccine rollout.

India has faced criticism for a slow vaccine campaign as it battles a second wave of coronavirus infections that is seeing about 350,000 new cases recorded every day. Only 2% of its 1.3 billion population have been fully immunized.