India

Free drive boosts 3rd dose, but adult coverage is just 21%

Although the number of Covid-19 precaution doses administered has increased markedly since the government began offering the vaccine free to all adults on July 15, only a little over a fifth of the eligible population has received the vaccine. On Friday, September 30, the 75-day drive for those between the ages of 18 and 59 will end.

In the country, only 22.24 percent of adults have received the third precaution dose, with the percentage of people over 60 years of age more than twice that of people between the ages of 18 and 59.

Despite the fact that only 17.58 % of 77 crore individuals between the ages of 18 and 59 have been given the third dose, it is much higher – 48.5% – in the 60-plus age group, comprising 13.7 crore people, according to data from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. As of mid-July, before the beginning of the free vaccination campaign for adults, only 8 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 59 and 27 percent of those over 60 had received a precautionary vaccination.

There have been 14.6 crore precaution doses administered since the free drive started; of those, 12.7 crore were between 18 and 59. India has given out 20.2 crore precaution doses so far.

A member of the Lancet Commission on Covid-19 in India, Dr Suneela Garg, Professor of Community Medicine at Maulana Azad Medical College, explained the possible reasons for the low precautionary dose numbers by saying: “You can see that the number of cases and severity of infection have decreased, so vaccination is no longer a priority.”

The number of vaccinations increases whenever the number of cases increases. It is also believed that hesitancy is due to the fact that people are getting sick even after taking both doses. It will be necessary to develop newer versions of the vaccines that are better able to prevent infections caused by the current variants in circulation in order to reduce this risk.”

A senior official involved in Delhi’s vaccination initiative stated, “With only primary vaccination certificates required for entry into various places and travel, people do not feel the need for a precautionary dose.”

Since the third dose began being administered in January of this year, it has remained free for people over 60 years of age, who are at a higher risk of severe disease and death. Also, the vaccine was available free of charge to all healthcare workers and frontline workers, who are at an increased risk of contracting the disease. In April, the government permitted the use of precautionary doses at private vaccination centers on payment of a fee.

As part of the free vaccination drive, states were instructed to make an “ambitious push” by organizing camps at large office complexes, industrial establishments, railway stations, inter-state bus stations, and schools and colleges. A free vaccination drive was announced just a few days after the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reduced the time interval between the second and precautionary dose to six months from nine months.

According to a senior official involved in Delhi’s vaccination drive, “People do not feel the need for the precaution dose since they only need primary vaccination certificates.”

Those over 60 have been getting the third dose for free since January this year. They’re at a higher risk for severe disease and death. Those at risk of getting the infection, like healthcare workers and frontline workers, could also get it free. In April, the government allowed precautionary doses at private vaccination centers for 18-59 year olds.

In June-July, the government urged people to take a precaution dose through its door-to-door campaign ‘Har Ghar Dastak 2.0’.

Nationally, precaution dose coverage was 21.54 percent, but state coverage differed from 91.9 percent in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to 6 percent in Meghalaya.

In light of the fact that almost all of the adult population has received the first dose of the vaccine, the precaution dose coverage in the states has been calculated based on the number of adults who have received the first dose. The best precaution dose coverage was found in Ladakh (52.38 percent), Andhra Pradesh (41.13 percent), Puducherry (39.73 percent), and Sikkim (37.48 percent).

According to data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Jharkhand (7.14 percent), Nagaland (7.41 percent), Punjab (7.75 percent), and Haryana (8.59 percent) had the lowest coverage rates.

Despite providing free precaution doses to all adults even before the Centre’s 75-day campaign, Delhi had a precaution dose coverage of 19.22 per cent – behind bigger states like Gujarat (36.84 percent), Odisha (35.93 percent), Uttar Pradesh (25.57 percent), Bihar (22.82 percent), West Bengal (22.78 percent), and Madhya Pradesh (22.67 percent).

Maharashtra and Kerala, both of which have experienced a consistently high number of Covid-19 cases through the pandemic, had the lowest precaution dose coverage, with 10.63 percent and 11.03 percent.

As the program is implemented by states, this is expected. Because vaccines are readily available, low coverage cannot be due to a lack of availability. Dr Garg said aggressive awareness campaigns are needed. A precaution dose must be given to people over 60, those with diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

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