Sunday, 13 Oct, 2024
So far, less than 2 per cent of the target population of 77 crore in the 18-59 age group have been administered the precaution dose
In Jan 2021, India launched the world's biggest vaccination drive. It was believed almost unachievable for India to vaccinate the world’s second largest population, however, despite hurdles like vaccine shortage, media criticism, vaccination hesitancy, severe multiple waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country performed far better than expectations, administrating close to 2 billion doses. This is more than the combined vaccination of developed countries like United States and Europe.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be meant for booster doses. The pace of third dose of the vaccine, which is considered important to prolong protective immunity still hasn't picked up pace in the country. Now, in a bid to boost up the booster dose, the government on Wednesday announced free shots of covid vaccine to all in the 18-59 age group at government vaccination centers. This will be facilitated under a 75-day special drive from July 15 as a part of the government's Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
So far, less than 2 per cent of the target population of 77 crore in the 18-59 age group have been administered the precaution dose. While, around 26 per cent of the estimated 16 crore eligible population aged 60 and above as well as healthcare and frontline workers have received the booster dose. Despite jabbing a whopping 32.94 lakh people on January 13, the day India opened up booster vaccines for immune-compromised seniors, the number of doses per day have been falling. Post January 11, there was no day when a million people got the booster jab, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data.
The uptake of booster shots is the lowest in Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand standing at less than 2% of the eligible population. A few states with relatively higher coverage of eligible population (18+ years) with booster doses are Ladakh (31%), Andhra Pradesh (10%), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (9%), Lakshadweep, Sikkim and Delhi (approximately 8%). The larger states like Uttar Pradesh (2.19%), Madhya Pradesh (2.66%), Maharashtra (3.34%) and Rajasthan (3.76%) have not even covered 5% of its eligible population with precautionary doses. Another problem grappling with India's booster drive is absenteeism. A staggering 92% of Indians who are currently eligible have not yet taken these shots.
The sharp contrast in country's initial vaccination drive and booster drive is alarming. There is clear evidence indicating that people who haven’t taken booster doses are at a significantly higher risk of developing severe Covid-19 than those who had received the booster dose. The initial two waves of COVID-19 was catastrophic for the country. As a nation with limited resources to handle another wave, we should spend more time and effort conveying the boosters' significance. Time to bell the cat!
