Half of adult Indians have got at least one COVID vaccine jab

As of Thursday, a cumulative population of 61.10 crore have been vaccinated in India, meaning the country has administered at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to half its adult population so far.

Media reports, quoting government data, said India, as per projected mid-year count for 2020 has almost 94 crore people aged above 18 years. On Thursday around 50.30 per cent of the 94 crore were administered 47.29 crore doses.

Daily vaccinations showed a considerable rise in August – an average of 52.16 lakh doses – compared to 43.41 lakh doses in July.

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Health Ministry data says while 50 per cent of the adult population has already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 15 per cent have received both the doses.

Almost 99 per cent of healthcare workers have received one dose of the vaccine, while 83 per cent have been completely vaccinated. Similarly, while all frontline workers have received their first dose, 79 per cent have received both.

The coverage is being called a vital milestone for the health ministry as administering at least one shot of the vaccine to half the population means a significant percentage of people have some immunity against the virus.

While states like Sikkim, Goa and Himachal Pradesh have administered the first dose to more than 50 per cent of their population, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and West Bengal are yet to touch the 50 per cent-mark.

However, vaccine hesitancy is still prevalent in many parts of the country, especially in the wake of fully vaccinated people contracting COVID. Speaking in defence of vaccines, doctors have been stressing that while vaccines do not prevent the disease, they do reduce the severity of the infection as well as the rate of hospitalization.

Dr. Balram Bhargava, the director general of ICMR told Indian Express that even vaccinated people should take precaution and continue wearing masks as the infection is yet to recede and the second wave is prevalent in many states.

“The second wave is still on in India. In some states, an upsurge is being observed in a few districts. We have 41 districts with a weekly positivity rate of 10 per cent; and 27 districts with a weekly positivity rate between 5 per cent and 10 per cent. The population density is causing the spread – wherever COVID-19 appropriate behaviour is not being observed, we are seeing a surge of cases,” he said.

“We know that these vaccines are disease-modifying vaccines; they are not disease-preventing vaccines. Therefore, it is very important to continue to use the mask even after vaccination of one or two doses. Vaccines reduce disease severity, reduce the possibility of hospitalization, and also avoid death to tune of 98-99 per cent. Mass gatherings have to be discouraged; and if attending or gathering is critical, full vaccination should be the prerequisite,” he added.

Also read: Vaccination must; it reduces severity, mortality rate of COVID-19: Experts 

Reiterating that the second wave is still underway, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday said only strict adherence to COVID-19 rules, especially during the festival season in the next two months, may help in minimizing a fresh wave of the infection.

The vaccination drive was flagged off in the country on January 16 this year.